


To Know Yourself

by Salmaka



Series: Soulmates [1]
Category: The Technomancer (Video Game)
Genre: Alan is a dick, Angst and Feels, Boys Kissing, Canon Compliant, Canon-Typical Violence, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Fluff and Humor, Friends to Lovers, M/M, My First Fanfic, POV Multiple, Salmaka's Expanded Universe, Slow Burn, Took Them Long Enough, Usage of Head Canon(s), andrew's pov, like in three chapters, long fic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-07
Updated: 2018-05-12
Packaged: 2019-03-15 00:47:12
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 25
Words: 28,156
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13601991
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Salmaka/pseuds/Salmaka
Summary: Lucky lived with his life. It wasn't much, but better than nothing. Everything changed with the arrival of a young technomancer. His whole life is turned upside down and nothing will ever be the same.





	1. Everything has its beginnings

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first fanfic ever, so have mercy on my soul. =) I apologize in advance for any mistakes and misspellings, English is my second language.  
> Enjoy!

All around him are figures with blurred faces. Everything he hears is muted - voices, laughter, and the sound of fighting. He knows these people, this place but he can´t place it. He knows he's save here – it feels like long lost home.

His legs carry him towards these noises. But these aren´t real fighting, just hard trainings. He walks through the wide corridor that leads to the big atrium with six training rings. Always two students and one master in each of one. There’re sounds of metal on metal everywhere.

But something is off. Nobody notices him – he is just air for them. Everyone looks like ghosts to him. But he is sure that he knows some of these faces. He walks further to one of these rings. Two men already waiting for him. A boy with brown hair is talking with older man. When the boy sees him, he waves at him and smile is visible under the mist of his face. After they say their hellos master tells them to get ready.

Now boys standing in ring with staffs in hands. Staff are favorite weapon for both young men. The white-hair man starts talking – maybe something about today lesson. Both boys are the best of the class, so their lessons are more advanced.

First round is staffs only. On master´s mark both boys storm out with a battle cry on their lips. Everything is blurry and very fast. They both know the style of the other very well. One is brutal but fast – the other is agile and even faster. They are stopped by master after few endless minutes. Both opponents gasping for breath, but they know that it is not the end of today's lesson.

After a short break, everything starts anew. As soon as electricity begins to fly through the air everything is even more blurred. Suddenly he doesn’t stand in the atrium, but in some room with beds and a terrible pain goes through his body. He and everyone around know what it is, and nobody can stop it. The last thing he hears before the darkness is screams, the sound of the falling ceiling and familiar voice calling his name.


	2. Prison

Lucky snapped awake in small back room of the warehouse. This godforsaken place was a prison for him and the rest of the caravan for some time now. Although he was awake now, sounds of fighting were still presented. The rest of the group were already listening to it, which was a good sign for him. This wasn’t just his imagination.

Everybody was bored after so many days in here. There was no more to be said. And in this silence Lucky's mind started more and more often wandering down the memory lane. Most of the memories were just like today’s dream – blurry, not helping and depressing. Only some faces or voices were more complete. However, even those were just imitation of reality. Each time he wanted to grab and explore them, they slipped between his fingers. Thanks to that was Lucky prisoner not just in this room but in his own mind, too. And that made him more depressed every passing day. From the moment he set his foot in Ophir he couldn’t stop thinking about what happened all these years ago. How his whole life changed in just one day.

He then realized that sounds of the combat were getting closer. And it was obvious that one side was losing this battle. What surprised him was almost forgotten but still so familiar sound. The sound of controlled electricity. Sudden change in the air confirmed Lucky's theory – there was a technomancer outside.

His own body began to react to familiar and oddly pleasing feeling of stranger's electricity. Lucky felt goosebumps all over his body and tingling at the tips of his fingers. Even on his missing hand. He bit his lip and tried to calm himself. He hasn’t use his talents in years and today won’t be different. However, just thinking about it sent a wave of excitement through his body. Close your eyes and breathe nice and slowly – this always works.

After few minutes he opened his eyes again and he started to scan his surroundings with clear head.  Three unknown men now standing in theirs little prison. Every one of them with different weapon in hand, two men wore army cloths. The last of them, a man talking to Fiorello, had undercut haircut and auburn hair and wore an old leather jacket. His face was hidden behind welding goggles. Lucky didn’t see or hear much from his corner. However, he noticed a gun, a short blade and a folded staff on man's belt and gloves with wires on his hands.

These must be to help him control his powers. Technomancers weren’t much popular among common soldiers and this group wasn’t any exception. Soldiers behavior suggested that this young man was their leader. Terchnomancers always has a higher rank than soldiers of the same age. And both men were standing little too far from the young man, however, one of them was watching him more closely. During his stay in Ophir, Lucky got at least a small idea how things works here.

Why should he even care about them? Except this was his only way out of this hell hole. And really. Just in few minutes Lucky found himself outside of the warehouse which was prison for him for days – weeks? Time didn’t even work properly inside. Only thing on his mind now was shower and bed softer than concrete floor and pillow made of his own jacket.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Only few more and I promise that chapters will get longer. I’m gonna try update every four days. I already have translated next three chapter, so those gonna be out in time.  
> Thank you all, who made time and stopped by. Please don’t be afraid to tell me if you find any mistake I made.  
> Till next time.


	3. Like Dogs

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> How's Lucky doing? Well, he finally manages to recall one of his memories.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy International Fanworks Day! ;)

Everything was back to normal about a week after the events in the warehouse. Lucky was busy again, so his mind stayed clear. Even with only one hand, Lucky was still a good fighter and for that he was an important member of the caravan. The only reason why they were captured was because Vory attacked them with a large number of men. Lucky was good but not that good.

Everything was same old at Exchange. The baggers were still miserable, and groups of people were standing all around. These groups were the best source of information and gossip. Today's hot topic was the youth technomancer working as army dog now.

Lucky saw him more and more often in past few days. He always led his three-member group and did all the talking. And that was the thing – this man was horrible in conversations. Despite this, he completed several tasks and services for Fiorella, and as it seems, for almost the entire city. He became something close to a hero in Ophir.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

He knew from the first second that this wouldn’t be pleasant at all. The first and only thing on his mind when he woke up was pain. So much pain. All over his body, except his left arm. In that moment he knew something was very wrong and he suppressed the sudden urge to look to his left. He already knew what he will see. Or rather, what he won't see. Overall, his entire left side was worse than the rest of his body. His vision was a little strange, wobbly again, as in every memory. However, this could also be related to his current state.

He heard the voices of older men, probably doctors and masters. He lifted his head and looked toward them, and all four men stopped talking. One of them suddenly appeared at his bedside and began to talk to him. Aside from few words he couldn’t understand - overload, great damage to the room, several injured and irreversible damage to the left hand.

He couldn’t stand it any longer and looked to his left. Another wave of pain flooded him. When he looked back at the master, he saw only his pitiful expression. It was the first, but not the last one to see in his life. He could count another three from the other men in the room.

“How are you feeling, boy?” Master Connor asked, standing right beside him.

“How do you think I feel? My whole-body screams, not just with the pain. My whole hand is _gone_. And even after I blow the whole room up, I feel like I'm just a step away from another surge,” he said with a large dose of poison in his voice. He knew that every emotion is now very dangerous, but he could not help it.

Another massive surge ran through his body. By the time the darkness swallowed him up, he saw the frightened expression of the master standing next to his bed and felt an injection needle in his only hand.

When he woke up again, he was on the dirty street. He wore only plain clothes and bandages. At least they treated him a bit before they threw him out like a dog. He didn’t feel another burst of energy building up, but he knew it wouldn’t be for long. He had to manage to keep a lot under control if he wants to survive.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

He woke up in his own sweat and with a great anger. He finally remembered the name of at least one of those old hypocrites. Now just think of a plan and finally, after all these years, he'll be able to free himself from what he felt. And if he cannot control himself at that point, maybe that will be an added bonus.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, thank you for reading and thank you for kudos and comments. I can't even tell you how happy all your comments make me! ❤ I'm so glad you like it so far.  
> Please don’t be afraid to tell me if you find any mistake I made.  
> Till next time.


	4. Meeting After Years

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh. What's this you ask? Is this chapter really almost as long as the all the previous chapters combined? Well, the answer is YES!
> 
> In advance I apologize for a number of in-game dialogues. I tried to make them shorter or little different but If ain’t broke, …

Lucky had a plan – when the young technomancer appeared near this god-saken place again, he’ll try to talk to him and persuade him to find master Connor for him. However, the key element of his plan didn’t show up for a week. Lucky started to lose his patience. Waiting for that man was the only reason why he stood here. He had better things to do.

Finally, on the eight-endless day, he showed up. Leading his small group as always. He wore the same old jacket and his face was hidden behind welding goggles yet again. This was it. The time had come to ask that one million serum question.

“Looks who’s here! Glad to see ya. Can’t tell you how much your help was – _is_ appreciated,” Lucky started with a fake joy in his voice. “Things might’ve worked themselves out in time, but it would be messy. You’re a Technomancer?” he finished with the key question. This question was the only reason why he talked to him.

“I am. Zachariah Mancer.” This man was even worse in conversation than Lucky thought.

 _‘If this goes on like this…_ _Use more words, for gods sake!’_

“I’m Lucky, in name and in life. You Mancers all stick together. Know each other real well, don’t ya?” he introduced himself and kept asking.

“Know each other maybe, but we’re scattered between here and the front.”

“Right, right! The front! That damn front!” Lucky said with a false sympathy, “So, I take it you know where I can find uh…What’s his name? Oh, yeah – Master Connor?” He remembered the name of that damn bastard, but a bit of acting never hurt.

“He’s still in town, training recruits.” was technomancer's - Zach's – another short answer, Lucky's heart skipped a beat nonetheless.

“See. Lucky, again. Just what I wanted to hear.” His enthusiasm was true this time. And now to the hard part. “Think you might be up to do me a favor?”

“Either way, I´m here. Tell me what you need.” Lucky's heart skipped a beat. This simple answer was his wish came true.

He kept calm and carried on with the conversation: “Simple. To meet Master Connor and relay some info. Without your help it’d be close to impossible. You know as well as I do; a common merchant can’t just stroll up to the likes of a Master. So, you get me in front of him, and I’ll owe you one. How ‘bout that?”

“I’ll see what I can do.” Simple answer, but full of hope.

“And I’ll be much obliged.”

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

The waiting was unending. Lucky wasn’t even sure when his ‘guest’ will come. It’ll be today, tomorrow or never? He reserved his next few days for standing in this cursed corner of this damn city, just to be sure. When it began to get dark, Lucky realized that today is not the day. With a sigh he headed for his bed with a wish for a quiet night.

When he lay down, his mind reminded him of the name of that young man - Zachariah Mancer. Zach. Why the name seemed so familiar, so important to him? The save guess was that they went to academy together and met each other there. But that was 10 years ago, so even hearing his voice didn’t help at all.

‘ _How should I associate a name with a face when his face is completely hidden? Damn, why everything ‘round me has to be so complicated,_ ’ he swore to the whole injustice of his life and went to sleep.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Luckily, Zach showed up the next day, just before lunch, with an older man at his heels. One look, that was all Lucky needed to recognize that man. Master Connor, himself.

“Is it…really you, Andrew? Can it really be…?” Connor said in surprise as soon as he saw him.

Oh, how long did he not hear somebody say his real name. And in that moment, all his carefully prepared words just slipped away. Luckily, his angry mind quickly sent a new ones.

“I hate to be a disappointment again, “ _Master_ ” Connor, but I don’t die easy. I have a little too much pride to just let myself be tossed out with the trash,” he said to him, with so much poison in every single word as possible. His voice, however, remained surprisingly calm. “You got some explaining to do.”

“We did not toss you out with the trash. We just didn’t know how to help you. Your talents were…uncontrollable. So, we sent you away, hoping you would forget and move on,” Connor said with a hint of resignation in his voice.

This was Lucky's breaking point. He almost went to Connor and grab him by the collar of his uniform. He was furious. “ _’Hoping to forget’_? Hoping I forget everything that happened, what did you do? Do you think that livin’ on the street, at the caravan for _10 years_ is a good life? You are a bunch of assholes!”

“I’m…I’m sorry. I don’t know how I could make it up to you…I…” master finished, with an obvious lack of words.

“I don’t know. But you can be damn sure I’ll think of something. Now, _get out_!” Lucky yelled and turned to leave.

Behind him, he heard the Master talking more to himself: “Andrew I cannot tell you how remarkable…to see you…” Master turned around and went back to where he came from. Young technomancer joined him at the corner.

“Who’d’ve funkin’ thought…a technomancer spyin’ on other tachnomancer. Crazy shit right there…” Lucky heard the beginning of the remark before the speaker left his earshot. However, he had something else on his mind at that moment.

In the evening, Lucky wondered what had happened. He had been thinking for all the years that after confronting one of the masters, everything’s going to be better. Today, however, was this theory busted. If anything, he felt much worse than in the last few years. Conversation with Connor opened some very unpleasant wounds. On the other hand, his mind slowly began to associate the boy from the memories with their young savior. He still wasn’t sure, but he had a suspicion. After all, man can change a lot in 10 years.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi, Zach......Bye, Zach.
> 
> Please don’t 'hate' me. Everything‘s gonna be alright, I promise. Lucky is just bitter and angry AF.
> 
> As always, thank you for reading and thank you for kudos and comments. I love you!  
> Please don’t be afraid to tell me if you find any mistake I made.  
> Till next time.


	5. There Is No Place Like Home

Caravan was moving again. Final destination – Noctis. Lucky was again busy with protection of sandsails in the middle of nobody's territory. The caravan stopped for a night after a long journey. Lucky had the first watch and sat on the ridge above the campsite. There was a big storm coming from the east. Before he saw it in the distance, he felt it all over his body. Normally, he would try to suppress this feeling, but first time in weeks he let it be. His own electricity was mixing with nature one. Surprisingly, his mind was clear and peaceful. For past few months, he has been trying to calm down as quickly as possible and he almost forgot the right way how to do it.

“Regarding fluid, you must take it slow,” he could hear a voice of a rogue technomancer named Shiro – his former mentor and companion on the road. “If you rush it, you’ll only be half-done.”

It was interesting, he hadn’t remembered Shiro since his arrival to Ophir. Everything in that city was irritating him. With all what happened in recent weeks, he didn’t have much strength for anything.

‘ _Ok, here’s go nothing…_ ’ he said for himself and began the ‘ritual’.

Step one - sit down and begin to breathe deeply, calm yourself. Then to the hardest part, start thinking of something other than that your body is one big live-wire.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

“I know you will probably totally ignore me,” said a woman on his left. “But you have to start breathing a bit slower.”

Lucky began to breathe even faster, just to irritate the intruder of his amazing surge. Since he left the order, he had number of them, fortunately, none of them was as big as that day.

Despite his efforts, the voice came back again: “That’s how it’s gonna be, hm? Listen, Pumpkin, believe it or not, but I know what you're going through now. Every one of our kind has been there at least once.”

Just as she’d finished, Lucky felt an increased charge in the air. He finally lifted his head and looked to the left. He saw a woman a little older than he, her dark hair tangled in a long braid, big bright eyes. And small sparks dancing between her fingers. Lucky almost jumped in surprise, he hadn’t seen another technomancer for at least four years. The woman recognized his surprise and the sparks disappeared.

“Oh, I was afraid you were either deaf or totally ignorant,” she smiled at him. Lucky was about to say something sarcastic, but his body had a different opinion and another wave of pain went through him.

“So, what? Let's try that again? First, begin to breathe deeply. Nice and slow, Pumpkin.”

He already hated that nickname, however, the pain in his body was unbearable. So, he began to slow his breathing down. It took a few minutes before he didn’t have to concentrate on his every breath.

“Isn’t this much better than unbearable pain? Now when you're back on Mars, can you tell me your name? I'm Shiro.”

Perhaps it was because his for once peaceful mind, or he just needed to talk to someone for a long time now. Who knows.

“Maybe one day I’ll tell ya.” After all, he used nickname, not his real name. “But only if you share other tricks with me. Perhaps an incredible life-story will do.”

She just smiled and said: “We have a deal, Pumpkin.”

“And stop callin’ me that!”

And so it started. When Lucky returned to his typical self, Shiro and he stayed awake all night, telling their life hardships. One story more thrilling and tragic than the previous one. But those were just their lives.

Shiro was originally a technomancer from Aurora, but she escaped during one of the endless battles. Since then she's still on the move. Shiro visited almost all the bigger cities and found some places that almost nobody knows about. Shiro, in return, learned how he lost his hand and about his life after that. When they didn’t tell their stories, Shiro taught him how to control his technomancy half.

They've been traveling like that for about a year. They have experienced a lot of both bad and good things together. They visited so many wonderful places and met some good people. Lucky's little hope and a taste for life returned.

Saying good-bye was hard. But they both had their commitments, and their escape from reality came to an end. When they were in the valley just a short distance from Noctis, Lucky knew it was probably the last time he saw her.

“Just remember everything I taught you. Otherwise it would be a waste of my time. And don’t get bitter when I'm not around. Do you understand, Pumpkin?”

“How many times have I told ya - I hate this _pet_ name,” he replied in a hurt tone, then he added more cheerfully, “But this time I'll let it go. You take care of yourself. I'll miss you.”

“I'll miss you, too.“

They hugged for a last time and went to the opposite end of the valley, both changed by traveling together.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

After a week journey, they finally stood on the platform of the elevator to the legendary merchant city of Noctis. Lucky was already looking forward to his bed in his apartment. As soon as he helped take the new goods to the warehouse, he went up the stairs to the residential area of the city.

His apartment was in a house attached to the city’ rocky wall near the main gate. When the door was in sight, he began to pull out the key. He unlocked them, walked in, and quickly closed the door behind him, as if to protect him from all that’s outside.

“Home, sweet home,” he sighed with relief, throwing the bag in the corner.

The apartment was no more than a larger room. In the far corner was a bed, with a couch and a coffee table in its headboard. To the right of the bed was a counter and a small but well-equipped kitchenette. There was also a small separate space serving as a bathroom. However, the best was outside, a small terrace overlooking the entire city. His other pride was a tall, almost fully fill library. He had never bought much for himself, but when he saw a book, he bought it. He regretted he hadn’t taken any book to Ophir. So, the plan for the next few days was clear - read, sleep and read again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, thank you for reading and thank you for kudos and comments. I love you!  
> Please don’t be afraid to tell me if you find any mistake I made.  
> Till next time.


	6. Like a Bolt From the Blue

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Guess who's back!

Lucky sat with a book and breakfast on his terrace. The streets below him were quiet this morning, only a few merchants adjusting their goods for the upcoming day. The sun beams gleamed through the roof to complement the peaceful atmosphere. The last few days after arriving to the city were just as quiet.

Then he heard some shouts from the area between the gates. He didn’t see anything from his place. But he was curious, so he decided to run down. Meanwhile, the voices were replaced by the sound of combat, muted by all the metal around the current battlefield. Lucky went up the stairs to the inner gate gallery.

The first thing he saw was an incredible electric tornado flying through mole’ horde. Lucky couldn’t tear his eyes from the perfection of the movements. His brain only marginally registered three other figures standing in the background, two women and an older man.

The tornado stopped, and the charge eased. As the dust settled, Lucky could saw a young man with a gray technomancer uniform in the middle of it all. His body in perfect posture to lower center of gravity. The staff with sparkles all around it clutched in both his hands. Relative quiet was only disturbed by the shooting from the pair standing closer to the outer gate. However, Lucky's eyes were focused on the obvious technomancer in the middle of the battlefield.

‘ _Isn't that the man who freed our caravan and helped me find Master Connor? Zach?_ ’

His thoughts were interrupted when more monsters surfaced. Before Lucky was able to warn the four people, the technomancer moved in one smooth movement to the pair of moles on his right. When both monsters lay death on the ground, the man turned and send an impressive arc of lightning on the last creature. All at a speed Lucky didn’t see for a long time. Finally, there was silence once again. Lucky's eyes finally left the main star of the fight and he realized that one of the women by technomancer's side was Niesha. He turned and ran down the stairs to welcome the intruders of such a beautiful morning.

“Niesha! Good to see ya. We were starting to get worried. The news from Ophir sounded a little chaotic. But you enjoy it, don’t you?” he said when he was standing in front of this strange group. He kept trying to avoid eye contact with the young man, the obvious leader.

“You? Worried about me? Give me some credit. Let me introduce you to Zachariah Mancer. He's the reason why we're here,” Niesha explained, pointing to the technomancer behind her.

For the first time, Lucky looked at the men in front of him, to associate the name with the face. It was definitely the same man from Ophir and from his memories. He’s the same age as Lucky and as tall as him and he wore a grey technomancer uniform. He had a set of scars on the right side of his face. Lucky felt guilty. He had an idea how Zachariah had come to those scars. Zach studied him with his bright brown eyes as closely as Lucky did.

“Look at that!” he began with false joy. “You that technomancer who saved us in Ophir! Interesting, very interesting! Happy to see ya again. Now I can see why the prince was insistent. He’ll want to see you as soon as possible.”

“The prince?” was all Zach said.

“Dandolo, he rules our city. If I were you, I wouldn’t keep him waiting. He isn’t very patient man and there’s nothing like fresh news for him to be pins and needles! But, don’t worry, he’s a charmer and he loves Niesha,” he added, and winked at her.

“Very well, I’ll go see him…”

Suddenly, the most muscular mutant Lucky had ever seen appeared behind him. The mutant started talking to Zach, and Lucky sensed the opportunity to sneaked out. Unfortunately, the two men exchanged only few sentences.

“Wait a – Your name’s Andrew, isn’t it?” Zach's hesitant question stopped him halfway. “We went to the academy together, but didn’t we…I overheard you talking to Master Connor after I brought him to meet you…” There was a hint of guilt in his voice when he said the last sentence.

“I guess you overheard,” Lucky sigh.

‘ _So, he really listened to us, that little...But if he recognized me, why didn’t he say anything right away?_ ’

“Very well. If you want to, we can talk _after_ you meet with Dandolo. Go now. Don’t keep him waiting,” he said a little tired. Hoping, despite his own curiosity, that Zachariah would somehow forget about him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Zach has come and he'll never leave.
> 
> As always, thank you for reading and thank you for kudos and comments. Love you!  
> Please don’t be afraid to tell me if you find any mistake I made.  
> Till next time.


	7. The Beginning of Something New

When Zach appeared on the top of the ladder two hours later, Lucky's heart almost stopped. Without doubt, the time of a conversation between two former classmates has come.

“Hey. There you are. Your meeting go well…?” Lucky asked bitterly, hoping to delay the inevitable.

“As well as hoped. Thanks.” Zach answered.

“Then let’s get down to business.” He took a deep breath and continued, “You know who I am. You know my past. You know what little I have left…what’re you gonna do about it, now, is the question. You gonna use what you know against me? ... Or you let me carry on with the small life I’ve managed to build?”

All the possible answers went through his head: ‘ _Stop playing the pity card…Pull yourself together and start to live again…How can someone like you fall so deep?_ ’ He heard it all in last couple of years. From the others, and from himself.

However, what he didn’t expect was the shocked expression of a man standing before him. The expression suddenly told everything about his owner. He’ll help you put your life back in order. He’ll probably help you, no matter what. He's kind and generous. Lucky hasn’t met such a man for a long time, if ever.

Unaware of the thought revolution in Lucky's brain, Zach began to speak with caution in his voice: “I’m sure a lot of people asked you, but what happened that day? When you lost your hand.”

A weird question from someone who saw it from the first row. Although, Lucky's memories had begun to clarify after he’d saw Zach's face at the gates. But there were too much of memories to sort them out. It was like a dam had broken. He remembered they had spent some time together – fighting side-by-side, training or simply spending free time together. They were close to the best friends.

“You do not remember it? It doesn’t matter,” he added before Zach could answer. “I had a surge. A big one. Before masters even knew what was happening, I electrified everyone and everything 'round me. Then the ceiling itself finally collapsed in on me and on everyone who hadn’t escaped. There was a couple of them, including you.” He almost whispered that last sentence. “I woke up in the infirmary without an arm. Masters whispering all around my bed. Shaken. One more terrified than the one next to him. Then everything went dark and I woke up on the street.”

“I didn’t remember much before I saw you and heard your name in Ophir. I asked masters, but they didn’t tell me much. But I started to remember. How the whole world just revolved ‘round you. Made me feel like I didn’t even exist.”

“Really? How so?” He didn’t saw it like that. On the contrary, it always seemed that the whole world revolved around Zach. With his talents, all masters cherished him.

“You were quite the charmer. Everyone gravitated to you. And I was just one of the many kids who… I remember the feeling more than anything else. Even though I didn’t remember it was you Andrew, until recently.”

“Funny, but yeah. We were just outsiders in different ways. Maybe, that's why we understood each other so well. I wanted too much from my life. I tried to make up for being different But, you ... you were ... still yourself. You must’ve felt alone but you never... never mind.”

Suddenly he realized how easily they talked again. As if nothing wrong had happened. All these years forgotten, if only for a moment.

“Never thought I’d see you again, Zachariah, let alone ever have this conversation. But to tell the truth I’m-…happy. Even if it brings unpleasant memories. I didn’t realize I needed this chat. Thanks,” he admitted, and it was true. He really needed to talk to someone who knew what he went through. The last such person was Shiro.

“Likewise. Anytime, partner. That’s it, if you want to join our group. What do you think, Andrew?” Zach asked him with a smile.

“Curiosity killed the cat...OK. Lead the way, my fearless leader!" He said, saluting with a smile on his lips. It was strange to hear his real name again - it's the beginning of something new. To become friends again will take a while, but what he had now, was a hope for improvement.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

The first few missions were very strange for him. One thing was clear, Zach was a born leader. He alone held this odd group of people together, he was the reason why it worked. The others didn’t know each other very well, however, Zach knew each one of them. The only exception were Scott with Amelia and Andrew with Niesha.

Zach's speaking, or better - persuasion skills were still a mystery to him. In the company of someone he already knew, Zach was surprisingly talkative, open and natural. He had a very special sense of humor and big tendency towards sarcasm. But, once he had to talk to someone outside his comfort zone, his sentences were short and simple. As if he wanted to be done with it as quickly as possible. However, he had always achieved his goal.

The weirdest thing Andrew had to get used to, was fighting side-by-side with the technomancer again. He almost forgot about this fact until the lightning started flying over the battlefield. His own body began to respond, and the first time that happened, Andrew almost got an unpleasant blow to the ribs. His eyes were attracted by the fighting style of the young Mancer. Every move was perfection after years spent under the supervision of masters.

Lucky saw a little bit of himself in Zachariah. What his future would be if he stayed in order. Just another ' _if_ ' in his life. But those doors closed for him a long time ago. Lucky had a completely different life now and nothing will change that.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Our boys are finally together, even if only as partners. And sorry for that last paragraph, but I can't help myself.
> 
> As always, thank you for reading and thank you for kudos and comments. Love you!  
> Please don’t be afraid to tell me if you find any mistake I made.  
> Till next time.


	8. All Kinds of Help

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lucky never realized how bad the situation in Noctis was. His eyes opened only after Zach appeared and began to fix everything.

It started when Zach needed help from the mutants to pull the rover away from the canyon. However, mutants didn’t want to help him because nobody helped them either. That's where Zach started to ask what had happened. The problem was the recent lynch of one of the mutants right on the street. And of course, the young man with Phobos as a company went straight to finding out who was responsible for it. In less than an hour everything was solved - the fanatics were found and punished with a great portion of electricity from Zach and hard blows from Phobos. Since then, Zach became the most popular person on Mars for Phobos and mutants in the city.

Another good deed was to cure poisoning from the local soup. The young technomancer ran around the city once again, searching for answers. Followed by Scott to help him with diagnose and later with the antibody. However, they returned to their usual gathering place before they went to the culprit and Zach asked Andrew for help. Andrew still couldn’t get used to hearing his name. After a brief explanation, the trio was on the way. The fight was over pretty quickly because preacher's son was just a big kid in a massive man's body. All Zach needed to do was sent a few lightning at him. As soon as the rest of the antidote was given, the young technomancer became the hero for at least the poorer half of the city.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Finally, the avalanche of charities stopped, and there was a couple of quieter days. Amelia was working on her rover - of course with tools and parts from Zach, Scott was talking to himself in the corner near the workbench, and Niesha and Phobos were the shadow knows where. And Zach sat on the edge of the elevator platform with a dinner in his hand and gazing into the valley. As Lucky approached, Zach turned and patted to the place next of him to indicate that he wouldn’t mind company.

After Zach had finished his food, he asked: “I didn’t even ask you what’ve you been up to all these years? Until recently I couldn’t imagine life outside the corporation. Outside the Abundance city. Hell, I didn’t even see the sky properly ‘till recently. Just the roof of the city.”

“Maybe it’ll surprise you, but I didn’t have as much freedom as you think. I spent ten years, with only a short pause, as a slave. Marcello found me on the street. I obviously owed him for that, but ten years... Did all his dirty shitty jobs - carried crates, ran errands, drove sandsails or simply picked his customers' pockets.”

“I’m sor…” Zach began, but stopped halfway through the word. Too late.

“Sorry, huh? I don’t hear it for the first time. I've traveled a lot. If I’m goin’ to find any silver lining in it. And I’ve earned my damn place here in Noctis. Even if the price of that was high.”

“What about your gift?” Zach quickly changed the subject. “I thought you died if you didn’t use your fluid…”

 “It’s a myth that masters are scaring young students. There’re rogue technomancers on Mars, loners. Not a lot, but few. To be able to control your fluid surges, that’s the technocracy mastery. Shiro, the technomancer from the Aurora, taught me everything. I'll tell you she’s something... Ironically, I’ll never be one of you fancy guys, but no master can control themself like I do. And all of this just to make sure my own brain doesn’t fry.”

Zach looked at him as if he was thinking about something - looking for solutions. Before he could say anything, Andrew said: “Somethings can’t be healed, Mancer. Like your scars. I’m guessin’ you got them the day I lost everything and was reduced to a sad, broken, arm less shadow of what I might’ve been.”

However, the endless solution finder didn’t let it go so easily. “Some things can’t be healed, but most can be mended, friend.” Lucky literally saw the wheels spinning in his head. "Let me ask around. It might be a long shot. Let me show you a new reason to call yourself 'Lucky'. I promise you, I’ll find a way how to regain at least a piece of what you lost.” He reached his hand to seal the promise.

Andrew shook hands with him and said: “I may be bitter, but I’m not ungrateful. If anyone can do it, it’s you, Zach. Efforts are already being appreciated. Thanks.”

With nothing more to say, they both turned toward a valley and enjoyed the view. Andrew imagined how ideas were flying in technomancer's head. And he realizes that it doesn’t surprise him at all. Already in Ophir, Zach helped everyone who had just asked. And he himself now experienced his selflessness and kindness personally. Zach is simply an incredible man - despite all his problems, he will never refuse to help the others. No matter how small your problem is.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always thank you all, who made time and stopped by. Please don’t be afraid to tell me if you find any mistake I made.  
> Till next time.  
> PS: Little piece of my thoughts here:  
> After *caught* my mom *caught* read my story I realized how much I’m relying on whoever is reading this knows the world, characters and so on. In short – knows the game ;). So, I’m not writing much of the details.  
> This can be also related to the fact that this is my first writing since high school and my biggest story I ever done and I’m trying to make it easier for myself. How I already mentioned in one of my comment *wink*, I’m using in-game dialogs as my ‘safe points’ and start points for my own creativity. It’s taking a long time to write this monster of fic and my skill are evolving with every new chapter, with every new paragraph (you can/will see it yourself). And yeah, I’m adding bits to chapters as I go and as I am translating, but I never do big changes.  
> So, bear with me.  
> 


	9. Don’t Believe Everything You Hear

Zachariah, Phobos, Amelia and Niesha returned late in the evening. And according to the uniforms in the boxes, the mission was successful. Andrew should be happy - the mission to get the Aurora uniforms was successful and no one of the crew was injured. But the plan to get them was to kill soldiers, and mainly technomancers from the other side of the barricade.

Thousands of questions flew inside Lucky's head: ‘ _Why would Zach do that? It’s true that they are not his brothers from Abundance, but everything about technomancers is untouchable for Zach. So why would he suddenly go and kill a bunch of them? Why?’_

“I need to ask him about it the first thing in the morning. Confront him,” Lucky said to himself, lying in his bed, staring at the ceiling. He didn’t even knew why he was so upset, why he cared so much. He had never been interested in technomancers and he barely knew Zach. How can he even know what kind of person he really is? Still, he hoped Zach wasn’t just another power hungry, soulless, fancy bastard.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

However, in the morning Zach was nowhere to be found. When Andrew came across Phobos, he asked him if he saw the young man somewhere. Phobos directed him to a merchant at the gate. When he arrived, Zach wasn’t there anymore – so he asked the merchant. She directed him to the priest, who sent him back to the public canteen. Halfway there, Andrew already suspected it would be just another dead end.

“This can go on whole fucking day!” he cursed loudly as he arrived. No one paid him any attention.

Eventually he decided to wait at the tree at lower part of the palace. He sat down on one of the big pillows, pulled out the book and waited. The book was soon forgotten, for he was still trying to figure out why Zach would do it. His position had paid off about half an hour later. From the corner of his eye he saw a figure with pale brown hair and a black old jacket Zach wore in city. Andrew quickly rose and caught up with the other man's step.

“Hey. Do you have a minute? I have to talk to you ‘bout something.”

“Hi. No problem. By your tone I can tell it’s something serious. Let’s go to my room. For privacy.”

As soon as they reached a small room, Andrew closed the door and began with the simple question: “So how did the mission go last night? I saw that the uniforms are already with the prince.”

“Well, it went quite smoothly. If I don’t count the attack of mutants at the end. It reminds me that I should ask Phobos ‘bout it. I even found some handy equipment ...”

That was all Andrew needed to hear: “Um, I believe Aurora Mancers have a pretty good stuff. How it seems, it didn’t help them that much.” He was so angry.

“What? What are you talking about? Why should it help them? We…“ Zach didn’t finished, interrupted by Andrew.

“You got over them to those rags, so it didn’t help them! I thought you technomancers are holding together? You’re always talking about it.” He was pointing angrily at the man in front of him and marched around the room.

Zach was looking at him confused and ready to defend himself. Instinct of the fighter. Then, as if he finally realized what Andrew talked about, he relaxed and began to speak quietly for Andrew to calm down.

“Do you really thought I would follow Dandol's plan to the N? That I would just started a new war and killed several technomancers? You're right, we share _something_ … and as it turned out, this bond can bridge the differences between corporations. And I’m glad for that. Shadow knows I could not kill any of them.”

“Wait, what?! Are you telling me... like not at all...?” Andrew lost his words. Now he felt like the biggest idiot on Mars.

“Yes, Andrew. That fight with mutants was the only one that happened yesterday. Did you really thought I'd do something like this all along?”

“Actually… I don’t even know what I thought anymore. Of course, ...of course you didn’t! Only I’m such an idiot to thought that. Zach I am sorry! Can you forgive me?”

“You are forgiven. I’m kinda understand you. And you know what, it's good to have someone who reminds me of such a thing. So, thanks.”

“ _Thanks_? You are thanking me for being a hothead?” Andrew shook his head in disbelief. “If that so and you need someone to yell at you - I'm available every day for two hours in the afternoon,” he said and began to laugh and Zach joined him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, thank you for reading and thank you for kudos and comments.  
> Please don’t be afraid to tell me if you find any mistake I made.  
> Till next time sunshines.


	10. Clothes Make the Man

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm using my head-canon here. As you know, you can change clothes to gain +1 for your skill.  
> But what are the companions' thoughts about it?

Finally, after a long journey through the Underworks they reached the Exchange. Zachariah at the front, Andrew and Amelie hot on his heels. They were looking for possible informant. All previous sources knew nothing new, but several of them referred to this man.

The description was quite specific - a middle-aged man, wearing a hat and a dark suit and he is always near the central market. You don’t find many people like him in here. Just after a few minutes Amelia saw him sitting at a table on the edge of the square. The trio stopped and Zach began to look at the man, probably thinking about the next step.

“Give me a sec, I’ll be right back,” he said halfway to Shadow knows where.

Amelia and Andrew exchanged a glance, ‘ _What now?_ ’ and they both leaned against the nearby wall. Only after a few minutes Zach appeared from behind the corner and motioned to follow him. However, he wasn’t wearing the lightweight jacket he wore before. Now he had a leather jacket with a white shirt inside. After Zach began to talk to that 'super' informant, Andrew was still a little confused. Negotiations went smoothly and after few sentences they knew exactly what they needed and all three of them went back to the underground.

In the relative safety of the lift, Zach took off his little backpack and began to undress a jacket he dressed just a moments ago. Andrew couldn’t but stare at the scene in front of him. The other man, standing a short distance from both him and Amelia half-naked reached into a small backpack on the ground and pulled out his usual combat wear. He wrestled with it for a while, but Andrew couldn’t complain. ‘ _Just look at him!_ ’

“What the hell is going on?” Lucky tore his eyes off the show in front of him, turning to Amelia with this question. She, too, was looking at the man in front of her with a dreamy look. And Andrew didn’t even blame her.

“Oh, are you telling me you haven’t seen it yet? But he takes you everywhere…” she laughed and continued, “you better ask mister himself. It's more fun to hear it from him. Believe me.”

“You are so helpful sometimes,” Andrew said sarcastically.

“You can thank me later.”

“We can go now” Zach interrupted them, dressed again and with a backpack on his back.

Andrew waited until he and Zach were sitting belt-up against each other in the rover. He wondered all the way through the Underworks about what had happened. How it seems it wasn’t for the first time, and certainly not for the last time. Why nobody in the group at least warned him. When Zach reached for his backpack, Andrew sensed an opportunity.

“Hey, Zach. I wanted to ask you - what was it with your today's dressing?” ‘ _Not that I am complaining._ ’

Zach was just looking at him for a moment and then said: “You know, it's probably gonna sound stupid, but ... just ... uh,” he cleared his throat, “You know how bad I am with words, it’s just ... when I’m wearing this jacket, I feel better about myself, and so I'm better with the talking ...” When he finished, it almost seemed he was blushing.

“In that case, you should wear it all the time,” Andrew said, and he immediately regretted it. His mount once again faster than his brain. He saw as Zach froze and silently grunted. “Sorry, it sounded ... just, sorry.”

Zach finally smiled and said, “You’re almost right.”

“Is this have anything to do with the T-shirt you’re always wearing when you do something on the workbench?”

“Actually, a little bit. I've been wearing it for so long that I've been putting it almost unknowingly. Maybe it’s like my lucky talisman or whatever. Who knows?”

“Hey, I'm here for the luck,” Lucky said quickly, and they both laughed again. What he didn’t notice, however, was how Zachariah began to blush again.

“I- I’m really happy you’re here. With us. With me.”

“…I’m happy, too. Without you I’d…I’d just be a poor broken man. Lonely and jaded.” Zach just smiled at him.

The rest of the ride to the city passed in a pleasant silence. That was more and more common between the two men. In this silence, Lucky's mind returned to the image of Zach's half-naked body. Muscles worked out by years of training and almost perfect skin without any tan. Its perfection was disturbed on the right side of his body by a set of differently deep scars from that fateful day. Several of them were on his shoulder, back, neck and his side. But they were just teasing, highlighting the overall beauty. Even years ago, at school, you could tell that Zach will grow up to be a handsome man.

‘ _Why he must be so amazing even when he isn’t? This makes it harder for me. Besides, he looks good..._ ’ He stopped his thoughts before he blushed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Who of us would resist to not look at half-naked Zach?
> 
> As always thank you all, who made time and stopped by. And thank you for your kudos and comments. Please don’t be afraid to tell me if you find any mistake I made.  
> Till next time. Love you!


	11. Close Encounters of the Mole Kind

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Not every mission goes smoothly.

At night Zach, Andrew and Scott went to the valley to catch the rare Blackhead mole for the zoologist in Noctis. As soon as they were in sight, they stopped and observed animals for a moment. There were seven small, five adult moles and one enormous one. That was their prey.

‘ _This will be fun_ ,’ Andrew thought, looking at the monster in the middle.

“I'll try to send a Storm as long as they're together,” Zach began explaining tactic. “We’ll approach them from all sides to not get surprise from behind. First, you try to concentrate on the smaller ones - they are weaker. Meanwhile, I’ll try to distract the Black one. When he's alone, we’ll attack as one.”

When they were close enough, Zach rose and sent a huge storm of lightning into the group. Unfortunately, none of the moles fell. That was a sign for two men in the background to join the battle.

With half of the dead animals on the ground, the struggle was steadily getting easier. But it was just a calm before the storm. Andrew just killed one of the bigger monsters when something caught him by his side and throw him a few yards away. The impact was tough and very painful. Fortunately, Zach had eyes everywhere and he immediately sent Scott to him. And like that, Zach found himself alone on the battlefield, surrounded by the rest of the moles.

Andrew looked up at the battlefield and saw something incredible. Zach suddenly dropped his pistol and dagger and unhooked his staff from his waist. With one smooth motion he unfolded it, and the electricity spread over it. With a new combat position, Zachariah began to scan his surroundings, the positions of the enemy and their condition.

The endless moment ended with the whole spin. It hit almost all the little monsters. Half of them dropped down and didn’t got up after the impact. But Zach was moving again, fighting with the rest of the animals and escaping from the attacking giant. After another big storm from the technomancer's hand, only he and Black one stood on their feet. Zach began to circle around it, looking for the weaknesses. Out of nowhere, two quick punches with an electric fist in the giant's leg, followed by another blow to its nape.

Despite all his pain, Andrew couldn’t take his eyes off the show. It was like watching a dance performance. Beautiful and deadly. One smooth motion followed by another, connected by sequences of precise punches and lightnings. Zach suddenly turned into a blurry smudge with sparks flying all around. Finally, the dust struck by the struggle settled down and only thing visible was the figure standing above the giant body on the ground.

“Are you all right, Sparkle?” Andrew shouted. Scott just gave him the last dose and he felt much better. The bruises and abrasions in the next few days will be painful, though.

“You ask _me_? I'm not the one who flew halfway across Mars. But, yeah, I'm okay,” he answered a little out of breath. “Doctor, will patient survive?” He asked Scott.

“Of course, he will survive. Why should not he? He is a young strong man, he has no reason to die. The only reason for concern could be the big bumps on his side and back. But that will heal quickly.”

On the way back to town with the trophy on his back, Andrew wondered what had happened. As soon as he was throw away, Zach sent Scott to help him, though it meant fighting alone. Why the hell he sacrificed, especially in such a dangerous fight. And he dropped his weapons and started fighting with the staff. Andrew hadn’t seen him fight with it as often as before. It was something that he was thinking about for a while now. And the rest of their friends were saying that Zach almost never let this weapon go.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Later Andrew found Zach at his favorite spot on the edge of the big elevator. Andrew slowly approached, sat beside him, and began: “Hey Zach, there's something I wanted to ask for a long time. I have a theory, but you are the only one with the right answer.”

“OK, if it's in me, you'll get the answer.”

“Actually, first I wanted to thank you for today. That you sent Scott to me and you got us out of it in one piece. So, thank you.”

“That was nothing, you would do the same. Or at least I hope so,” he said with a smile.

“And now to my question of the century. I noticed you stopped using the staff. But the others have refuted it and you have pulled it out today. This proves it’s your most powerful weapon - so why I not seeing you using it?”

Zach froze, staring into the valley. He obviously didn’t want to look at him, and suddenly Lucky knew why.

“Don’t tell me it's because ... _Really?!_ ” He began, but Zach finally looked at him and interrupted him.

“I just ... I remember it was your favorite technique. I remember your joy. Now it's just another thing you've can’t do. I didn’t want to remind you of it… And I know it's a stupid excuse.”

“And if I remember it well, the staff is also your favorite method for kicking someone's ass. It pisses me off that it's just another thing I'll never do again. But you don’t have to stop using it for my sake. It's as if you stopped using your talents.” Andrew nudged him with his shoulder and continued: “Besides, watching you with it in the fight is sufficient compensation.” And it was absolutely true. Andrew has always been the better one with it at the school, but years spent at school got Zach where he is now.

“You’re always right. How do you do that?” Zach joked.

“That's just one of my many natural talents.” When the two men laughed, Andrew suddenly realized how beautiful Zach's laughter is.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always thank you all, who made time and stopped by. And thank you for your kudos and comments. Please don’t be afraid to tell me if you find any mistake I made.  
> Till next time. Love you!


	12. Helping Hand

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Zach’ll make a prosthesis out of nothing for Andrew, just to get scared to death by its new owner

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is from Zach's POV because I love switching of POV in stories and also because I want to show you that Zach has is as bad as Andrew does.  
> Enjoy!

The previous week was too hectic for all. And mainly for Zach. Return to Ophir, sneaking into the technomancer's chapel to save the remnant of his brothers and sisters, betrayal of one's own, the loss of two great masters and sudden responsibility for the rest of the order. It was just too much.

In the heart of the soul Zach knew he would never be such a good Great master as Ian was. Surely not right away. He’ll have to earn his place the hard way. Every Great master needs good and reliable advisors, but he didn’t know any of the older ones very well. Not as he knew Sean or Connor... He never had a lot of friends among students at the academy. He was always outsider, but with this pair of masters it was different. Mutual respect and common view to the world eventually grew into their friendship. Now it was all gone. And Zach felt incredibly alone.

The only bright side of all that were Scott's notes on technomancy and a set of equipment from the chapel. Finally, something he could fully concentrate on. Something that could take his mind away of everything what happened. He and doctor were in his room and discussed the notes and findings. Pieces of equipment spread out on the work table, waiting to be transformed into something useful.

When Scott had said good-bye, Zach looked once again at the final draft. ‘ _I probably would not be able to sleep when it’s just lying here_ ,’ he thought as he put on his work clothing with a thought to finish his work. All the drawings have already been completed, just build it.

There was still a room for improvement and modification. However, Zach wanted to give it to Andrew as soon as possible. That spark in Andrew's eyes when he offered to help him find part of him again. Literally. Zach wanted to see that smile from their childhood back on Andrew's face, to bring back the carefree personality to the world again. But he knew it would never be the same. Both men have changed over the years of hard life. However, Zach will be happy with just a fraction of that. He would do anything for Andrew.

Andrew is incredible in so many ways. Zach knew he is an incredible and strong man under his hard shell. But he didn’t trust anyone to be truly himself around them. What he lived through was unbelievable. A lot of people would be broken, completely destroyed by it. But Andrew was somehow stronger thanks to this. It changed him for the better - though he didn’t think that about himself. Zach wanted to help him realize this. He wanted to help him to see himself as Zach sees him. How brave, persistent, unbreakable, passionate, funny he is.

Zach locked the door, turned off all the lights except the one over the desk, opened a small window for the background sounds and began to work. Mechanics and crafting were and always will be his most popular hobbies, although the only one who knows about it is Amelia. It was great to talk to someone equally enthusiastic and they quickly became friends. He got his first set of tools for his birthday from Scott and Connor showed him basics of crafting.

Within two hours the prosthesis was completed and functional. Now just wait till tomorrow for the cherry on the cake. Luckily, he fell asleep and the morning came quickly. Zach wanted to give Andrew his new prosthesis in the morning, for him to get used to. And there will also be time for possible adjustment. After the morning routine, he went looking for Andrew and Scott, from whom he needed help with the medical side of the process. So, he went to the usual places. When he found them, all three of them went to his room. There lay prepared prosthesis and as soon as Andrew saw it, he stared in disbelieve at the two men.

Zach began to explain everything to him as he was helping Scott. How they used Scott's notes and the equipment of the order. What he left out, however, was that almost all of the ideas and final assembly were his work. All went smoothly but the pain associated with reattaching and re-connection of nerves was unpleasant. He'll have to work a bit on that. However, a little test didn’t show any big problem.

There was excitement in Andrew's whole body. As soon as Scott left, Andrew began to examine his retrieved hand. He moved with all his fingers, turning it in all the joints. And he was smiling from ear to ear the whole time. That’s exactly what Zach wanted to achieve with this action, to see the smile on his face again. That spark in his eyes.

Suddenly Andrew jerked strangely, and Zach could feel a change in the air. A giant wave of energy passed through the prosthesis and Andrew swore loudly. As their eyes met, Zach saw pure shock, fear and confusion on the other man's face. Zach's heart almost stopped when even bigger shock of energy, accompanied by a painful shout, passed through the whole body of the man in front of him.

“ **Andrew!** ” Zach shouted. ‘ _Oh, no, I just killed him! Now he’ll fry right in front of my eyes! And it's just because I have to fix everything,’_ he panicked. A fragment of memories of that fateful day flew through his head.

It all stopped as quickly as it started. And on Andrew's face was perhaps the most beautiful and confident smile Zach ever saw. The smile changed into a full laugh.

“Hahahaha! You really bought it? You should have seen yourself... Hahaha! Don’t worry, once was enough. I’ve already messed you up enough.”

Zach let out a breath that he didn’t even knew he was holding and with peace in his heart he said: “You really got me. Please don’t do it ever again, please?”

“Don’t worry. You know, not using technomancy requires control at the next level… mastery even.” Zach saw wonderfully controlled small blue bolt dancing between Andrew's fingers as it was the most natural thing to do. “I’d forgotten this feeling of peace.”

Only then Zach remembered one of their conversations about how he had to learn to control his gift from a rogue technomancer. He completely forgot about it in the fear for the other man.

‘ _Blue suits him…_ _Fuck, I'm all the way in,_ _knee deep and all that,’_ he realized. Another look at Andrew confirmed it. Andrew had not been so relaxed and happy for a long time. He was enjoying every moment with his new hand and the freedom associated with it and that was all Zach needed for his own happiness. ‘ _And on top of that I'm staring at him, am I?_ ’

“Welcome back to your people, Andrew,” he said, and they clasped their hands

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What seemed strange to me in game was how Andrew wants to go somewhere where there are not so many people around and then walked only 5 meters from where he stands? There is literally the same number of people these five meters away.
> 
> As always, thank you for reading and thank you for kudos and comments. They always make my day!  
> Please don’t be afraid to tell me if you find any mistake I made.  
> Till next time.


	13. Something Old, Something New, …

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’m very happy I came up with title of this chapter. I always trying to be funny and clever, if you can’t tell. ;)

It was a strange feeling to have his hand back. Not only because of the regained ability to use technomancy but also for the feeling of being whole again. Andrew had almost forgotten how many activities and things are so much simpler with both hands. He had a whole day to test prosthesis in normal life, however, Zach promised him that they’ll try something else tomorrow and he asked him to meet with him in the morning at their usual place at the sandsails.

Andrew, all excited, almost ran there and he had to wait for Zach. Finally, Zachariah appeared with a bag over his shoulder and with a grumpy expression. Andrew almost saw that black cloud over his head. He waved at him with the prosthesis and a small smile cracked thru Mancer’s grumpiness.

“Hey, ready?”

“Hey, back. What ever it is, I'm ready!”

After they exchanged their greetings, they headed to the public dinner and then went on to the turbines. Zach opened a small gate next to the stairs and continued on, Andrew hesitated a little. He didn’t know this part of the city well and he didn’t even know where this secret path leads. But he trusted Zach so, he followed. The narrow and relatively low corridor ended after a few meters and Andrew found himself in an open space. It was one of the platforms visible from the valley and it was surprisingly spacious.

“How did you find it here? I've lived in the city for almost a year, and I've never been able to get here.”

“You know me ... I'll try to open every locked door I see.” Andrew crossed hands on his chest and looked at him with a questioning look. “Alright, _alright!_ A guy shown it to me. I helped heal his wife.”

“That's better,” Lucky said happily and looked around. “It's great here!”

“Thanks.”

“I didn’t even congratulate you yesterday!”

“Congratulate me? Why?” Zach asked little confused. He seems somehow distracted all morning.

“That you became a new Technoamcer’s boss.”

“Yeah, that…” Zach said, and all his good mood was gone again.

‘ _Oh, well done, Andrew! Fucking great job! This is the reason why he’s like this all day and I just throw it right into his face again. I’m a bloody idiot!_ ’

Before Lucky could apologies or at least say something, Zach put his bag on the ground and began to rummage through it. Andrew just stood nearby and waited. After a moment of racking, his friend began to take various equipment out of the bag. Andrew immediately recognized that some of the things were Zach’s - after the last mission he had newer ones. Telescopic staff, a pair of technomancer gloves, some boots, and a blue Aurora jacket. All of it was fully upgraded.

“I went through my old equipment and some from the missions and this could be useful to you now. We're about the same size, so it could fit you,” Zach said as if it was the most natural thing. His voice, however, was somehow emotionless.

Andrew, as on instinct, picked up the telescopic staff from which he didn’t teared his eyes from the moment Zach pulled it out. He hadn’t held it in his hands for so long – yet, its weight was something almost intimately familiar. For a moment he held the staff. He was turning it and studying it. Then he quickly unfolded it and made one of the sequences of movements he still remembered. The feeling of movement was like a drug - everything from the weight distribution, the length to the material of the staff was perfect.

Behind him he heard Zach's voice full of wonder and admiration: “Wow. I see you haven’t forgotten everything. That was perfect! I was afraid I'd have to be a teacher.”

“Hey, I'm not that much of an idiot to forget everything. Besides, once I have it in my hand again, it's as if I have never put it away. It's great, thanks so much! How ‘bout we train together? Just like old times.”

“I was afraid you would never ask. Come here and show me what you got!”

Andrew put on technomancer's gloves, and Zach grabbed his staff. Both of them stood in a ‘get ready’ position and on the mark they both collided somewhere in the middle. Their movements were a bit chaotic at first, but they quickly found a common rhythm. All the years spent training together reappeared in his mind. As soon as the sound of electricity joined to the sound of the metal, they were both completely immersed in the fight, the outside world and all the problems to cease to exist for them.

Everything finally ended when the two warriors were sweating and breathing heavily, but they were happy. They sat on the crates to catch their breath and they began to talk about the academy times together.

“Remember how we had to spar against Alan and one of his tough asshole sidekicks?”

“Weren’t so tough after we beat ‘em were they? And you've been telling me how good I was like you weren’t gifted, too… Alan never let it go. Thought that anger was gonna kill him. He was and still is a prick.” After the time spent with Zach, Andrew's memories were not all bad.

“He made it into his motivation. But eventually he got his revenge, remember? Scott even had to come to see me.”

Andrew was confused. “I remember Scott seeing you, but ... What did that dick do?”

“Alan and his fellow pricks corned me in one of the halls and broke two of my ribs. I didn’t have a chance against three of them alone. Cowards.”

“If I’d’ve know that Alan would have to eat everything with a straw.”

“Don’t worry, there was a punishment. After masters heard about it, I didn’t see Alan for a week. I think Ian and Connor had come with something very unpleasant,” his voice changed when he spoke master’s names. The loss of both men was still fresh for him.

“Even so, I wish I was there to protect you. I will not make the same mistake again, I will always be near you - like your shadow.”

“I’d be happy to be in your shadow…” Zachariah said quietly. Then he cleared his throat and pointed to the equipment nearby, adding, “You should take it home and try it out.” He got up, handed Lucky things, and they went back to town together.

Since then, this training has become a routine for them every morning. After a few days, they no longer needed signals, let alone words to know what the other was going to do. When in the real fight, both men were completely synchronized, one movement was complemented by another. The two fighters covered each other's back – they simply knew what was needed to do at that exact moment. They worked together as a well-oiled machine, like one mind in two bodies. Thanks to their flawless style, there was almost no need for a third-party member. All the enemies had always attack this invincible couple and quickly regret it.

Andrew slowly and surely taught to direct the years of control over his abilities into something more useful. Their endless suppression was transformed into massive electrical storms and infinitely long and massive bolts. His fluid well almost never dried up for him, and he always knew when to stop. Where Zach had to help himself with improvements in equipment, he was perfectly fine. And while Andrew did the same thing as Zach, he'd never done it the way Zach did. He has always found an alternative, his own method, his own style. It was very liberating for him. It was a bit irritating for Zach at first. But when he found out that he cannot do anything about it, he just sighed and let Andrew do what he wanted.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> PS: Alan’s a dick
> 
> Originally, they trained somewhere down in the canyon, but then I saw a platform in the game. And that's how Zach's hiding place was born.
> 
> As always, thank you for stopping by and reading and thank you for kudos and comments. They always make my day!  
> Please don’t be afraid to tell me if you find any mistake I made.  
> Till next time.


	14. There and Back Again

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Alternative title : Two Dorks Falling in Love

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Some of you already read this a long time ago. *wink* This was the first chapter of the story I translated and shared. I wrote it and translated it basically in one go, shortly after I joined our Technomancer Discord, almost 4 months ago. (wow there were only 5-7(?) of us at that time)

A loud bang spread across the apartment and Andrew woke up with a start. He looked around his room, but everything seems OK. The Sun was just barely over the horizon. Than mean time around 4 o'clock in the morning.

‘ _What the hell? That must be that prick from downstairs. I_ ' _m gonna kill him one day!_ ’

He went to the bathroom, knowing he will not going to fall asleep again. After he was finished, he took his new recipe book a went to the kitchenette. Cooking and reading were his secret hobbies. The food was easy and fine. He bookmarked the recipe for later.

He decided to take a book he was reading and go sit with it somewhere outside. Stairs to the palace sound nice this early in the morning. And it's going to be interesting to see how the city is waking up. With that in mind Andrew found his book, took his keys and got going.

The way to the palace was quiet, there was no one out. Suddenly he saw a runner from a corner of his eye. But before he got a better look at them, the runner disappeared behind next corner. Andrew then continued to his destination. The square was empty just how he like it and he sat in the middle of the staircase with the book in his hands.

Only few minutes later, there was that running person again. Lucky put his book down, rested his head in the palm of his prosthesis and watched them closer. Young runner was wearing black sweatpants and simple tunic. When he got closer Andrew recognized it was Zachariah. However, he had not noticed him yet and kept running.   

Their eye finally met after he ran out from behind the rock pillar. Andrew just in that moment realized that he was staring at him for past few minutes. Meanwhile Zach run towards him and sat next to him. He just wiped sweat from his forehead and he didn’t even looked like someone how just run for at least past quarter an hour.

‘ _Wow. That’s some impressive stamina, mister,_ ’ he thought but stop his brain before it got somewhere he doesn’t want to go right now.

“Are you trainin' for the next marathon from Noctis to Ophir?”

“Already done it. My next goal is to get there and back again,” Zach told him with calm voice. That took Andrew by surprise – _is he serious or is he joking_?

With raised eyebrow he asked: “Now I don’t know whether to laugh or to worry about your health? Maybe both?”

“You never know but I would be the first one who made it. And everybody had some hobby – and I like runnin'.” With that he looked down and saw the book in Andrew’s lap. “I see you have reading.”

“Yeah, it’s a hobby of mine. But for than you need peace and quiet and both are scarce lately,“ he said with sadness in his voice.

“Oh, I see how it is. So, you want me to stop taking you to our loud and hectic missions? Be my guest then.”

Andrew just look at him in shock, the technomencer sitting next to him had totally serious expression. “Come on, you know how I meant it! Besides, you would be so screw without me.”

Zach just made a sound like it was not true, but Andrew could saw he tried to hold back the laugh. “What you reading anyway? What’s your favorite genre?”

“Books are hard to get, so you can’t be much picky. Surprisingly lots of book out there are romances and not all of them are bad. And next there are cooking boo…” he stopped himself too late.

“Are you telling me that sarcastic, every bit of a warrior and so very manly Andrew likes steamy romances and even cooks?” Zach said disbelievingly with smile on his lips.

Andrew threw a glance at him that says: ‘ _If you tell anybody, I'm gonna kill you - slowly!_ ’ But then he said aloud: “Like you don’t have any secret hobby of yours! Come on, the secret for the secret.”

“OK, you won! But promise me, you're going to cook for me something one day.” Andrew nodded, and Zachariah continued: “I like engineering, technology. I like poking in things, I like repairing them and so on.”

“Oh, look at as. Two big nerds! No one should know this 'bout us, like ever. We have a reputation to maintain. Just one last thing – If I am cooking for you, you have to fix something for me, it’s only fair.”

“Very well, you make yourself a deal,” said Zach and they shook hands.

How they talked, people started walking around them. They found themselves on an isolated island of peace in the middle of the crowd.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I imagine how Andrew goes to Niesha and Zach to Amelia afterwards and both are like: "Why must he be so cool and cute?! It's not fair!"
> 
> Guys - We are over halfway through! The last chapter will be updated (probably) on May 14th. Expected length of the whole story is over 24k words.
> 
> As always, thank you for stopping by and reading and thank you for kudos and comments. They always make my day! It really mean a world to me that you still like it. <3  
> Please don’t be afraid to tell me if you find any mistake I made.  
> Till next time.


	15. Two Steps Ahead of Your Enemy

The eve before the trip to the lost dome they all met to discuss the plans for tomorrow. The journey will be long and outside of most well-known roads. However, Amelia assured Zach that her baby can survive almost anything. The journey will be a little longer and more stocks will be needed to be packed, just to be sure. Another point was the composition of the team.

“Andrew, I’ll need you with me. Most of these sites have a gate requiring two technomancers. Better to be sure than sorry.”

“Then my help’s what you’ll get, buddy. Besides, I’ve never seen any of these settlers’ domes.”

“All right.” He turned to Amelia and continued, “Are you also volunteerin’, or am I need to persuade you?”

“I will go with you for sure. What kind of Reacher I would be if I had missed such an opportunity? And somebody has to get you there. And imagine how many things will be inside – a treasure even – and I’d made one badass motherfuckin’ pirate.”

“Super, so that’s sorted out. And that's about it. So, Andrew, Amelie - tomorrow morning at the rover in full armor. We don’t know what’s waiting for us, so be prepared for the worst. Good night everybody.”

In the morning, everyone came to the rover, not only Zach, Andrew and Amelia. The journey will be long, and the others wanted to say goodbye and wish good luck. They’d also been helping with a general preparation for the trip.

And Phobos shared one of his infinite but true wisdom with them: “Zach, whatever you find there, do not forget Mars. It's our home. Don’t lose your head in the stars.”

There were only three of them as they were on the elevator and Amelia started the engine. They settled down and headed for the dome. Part of the journey they talked about everything and anything. When there was silence Andrew pulled out a book and began to read. The story was exciting, and he didn’t even notice when Zach sat opposite of him.

“Oh, sorry. I guess I got into it completely and wasn’t aware of the surroundings,” he began to apologize when he finally noticed Zach from the corner of his eye.

“Don’t worry. I just need to stretch my legs. The front seat is not as comfortable as it looks. Besides, from your expression, it looks quite trillin’.”

“It is, chapter ended with a cliff-hanger. How far do you think we are from the dome? Can we see it from afar?”

“We’re still too far away. And I don’t think so, it's just a small site. But that doesn’t mean we cannot find what we're lookin’ for there. In every such complex there are countless of artefacts from the time of the first settlers.”

“What do you hope to find there, Zach? You never said that.”

“I made a promise…a vow as a technomancer that I’d find a way to contact Earth. And discovery of the beacon would change everything,” Zach said resolutely.

“That’s what I admire ‘bout you. To fight the impossible is simply part of your personality,” he said with an admiration.

“I'm glad at least someone appreciates it. Can I stretch out, lay down? I didn’t sleep well last night.”

“Oh, yeah. I don’t mind. Do you want something under your head, as a pillow?” Andrew asked, already reaching into his backpack. Meanwhile, Zach began to lie down, finding the most comfortable position.

“You don’t have to, but thanks. Just wake me up when we get there.”

“Don’t you worry, I won’t steal all the glory. Sweet dreams.”

“Thanks,” Zach said a little sleepy, adjusting the clothes under his head and closed his eyes.

Andrew moved to the front seat to give him more space. Besides, he hadn’t spoken to Amelia for a long time. Thanks to their conversation, the time passed fast and suddenly something appeared on the horizon. Under the sand, pieces of metal could be seen, and with big imagination the shape of the main dome could be seen. He wanted to turn around and wake Zach, but the young man already got up and leaned forward at the front seats to take a look.

“This must be it. Are we here? It would be almost impossible for to be two lost places here.”

“Calm down, Zach. _Shadows!_ You're right, finally we're here. And don’t try to jump out before I find a place to park. That dome has been here for a long time, and it won’t suddenly disappear.” She was very protective when her rover was in question. They parked right in front of the main entrance to the complex. Unfortunately, ASC vehicles were here, too. It looked like about a dozen of soldiers could be inside.

“Wow! So, this is the famous dome in the sands. I think I'll have to disappoint you, but it doesn’t seem to have much left in it. Especially when ASC is already here.”

“That's why we need to stop them before they slip between our fingers. We cannot afford to lose this.” He turned and jumped down. The pair quickly followed him and immediately saw a group of soldiers standing in front of them. No problem for them.

On the way up, Zach searched every chest or box he found, hoping to find something. Only things he found was a little of first settlers stuff. None of them was ready for what was waiting behind the next door. Just as Zach got into the center of the room, the fiercest and probably the biggest monster Andrew’d ever seen appeared. There were spores flying out of its enormous head, its front legs looked like human hands and its roar sprawled through the complex. It was hard fight that required a lot of traps and tactics. Eventually, they succeeded and all three breath-less went on.

When they finally stood in front of that gate, Zach had hope in his eyes again. He turned to see if everyone were ready and stepped forward. Andrew at his side in the moment and they both touched the door. As soon as it opened, they saw a group of obvious technomancers with Alan in the middle. He didn’t even notice them, lost in the display in front of him. Zach didn’t hesitate and sent an impulse across the wall to Alan's direction. As soon as the charge came to him, Alan jumped in surprise and he finally turned around.

“Zachariah Rogue, in the flesh. And I see that you brought that looser with you.” Although this was directed to Andrew, Alan's gaze was still focused on Zach. “You're too late. On him! We'll get rid of them once and for all!” He gave the others around him an order to attack.

At that point Zach was furious and Andrew was not far from it. Both started fighting and they focused only on Alan. On the other hand, Alan was still focusing only on Zach - this was personal revenge on both sides. However, Andrew and Zach attacked the other enemies occasionally as well and Amelia was experienced and strong enough to manage more than one enemy at once. Three are more than one and they quickly put him down.

Zach went straight to the console and Andrew with Amelia were looking over his shoulder. Unfortunately, it was encrypted, but that will not stop them. Once again, they have a lead over ASC and Viktor. What they didn’t notice, was that Alan rose quietly and ran away. They came to the rover in utter silence, each taking over what had happened. That’s when they noticed the missing Abundance vehicle.

“That's what I call a jumper of the year - that bastard is now the alpha technomancer of Abundance.”

“How could he do that? To vouch for Victor and kill our Grandmaster, I still can’ believe it. I knew he was ambitious slippery bastard, but to that extent?!” Zach growled on the front seat of the rover on the way back.

“But we kicked his ass. Now he should know better than to crossing you again,“ Andrew encouraged him a little. He never liked Alan, and after he learned what Alan had done to Zach all these years ago and now, he hated him even more.

“If I know Alan…it’ll only get worse.”

Andrew got up from the back seat and put his hand on Zach's shoulder. “That's probably true, but now there always will be two of us. I told you I would be like your shadow. And I think the others will be happy to help too. You will never be alone again.”

“Thanks, Andrew. And Amelia. The fact that I have someone by my side is ... there is nothing better. We can do it, together.”

Because they were tired, there wasn’t any more conversations. Everyone was too tired, and Amelia had to concentrate on driving. Andrew didn’t remember when he fell asleep, but he woke up in the valley just a short distance from Noctis. Tablet was theirs, now just find someone to translate its content.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> PS: Alan’s a dick! And I hate that Gorilla monster to bits!
> 
> As always, thank you for stopping by and reading - over 100 hits, I'm stunned! <3 And also thank you for kudos and comments.  
> Please don’t be afraid to tell me if you find any mistake I made.  
> Till next time.


	16. Memories of Hell

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Andrew is the best in being the best friend and Zachariah’s sometimes so clueless.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Also lots of feels in this chapter!!

The moment he heard it, he knew that this trip to the camp is a very bad idea. Nearly everybody living outside the corporation heard truth about so called Rehabilitation Camp, some of them experienced its horrors on their own. Those who got out alive don’t talk much about what is happening inside its walls – too many bad memories. For the time Andrew knew Niesha, she had told him only a little about her stay, and he still had nightmares from it. So, he wondered why she wanted to come back there voluntarily. Andrew tried to talk to her, too, but she was adamant. Niesha said that going back there with a weapon in her hand and saving these unfortunate souls makes the difference. Andrew himself didn’t want to go there, however, he offered help with the freed prisoners. And that’s why he now watched as Zachariah, Niesha and Phobos got into the rover with the next stop Hell Hole.

Waiting for their return was unbearable - he could hardly do anything. His head was full of ideas of what it looks like in there and whether they’ll come back... Suddenly, after a few hours, he could see the dust from the arriving rover in the morning light. Andrew got to their gathering place in time to see as they were exiting the vehicle with the rescued Aurora Mancer in tow. Only thing he could saw, however, was how visibly shaken Niesha was. He ran to her, took her around her shoulders and led her to his house.

As soon as they got there, he sat Niesha down on the couch and began to brew some tea. When he handed it to her, she smiled faintly and lowered her head again. Andrew sat down next to her and put his hand around her shoulders. Niesha just buried her head in his shoulder and began to sob softly and Andrew hug her. He knows how it helps, to finally get it all out of your system and have someone as a silence support.

“When we arrived, everything was all right, the feeling of returning with the weapon in hand was so good,” she began to tell the events of the day when she calmed down a little. Andrew just kept silent and listened. “Get thru the guards wasn’t a problem, but the moment we step inside... the building itself... all those innocent people trapped inside. As we began to free them... everything was back in a relative order for a while... We got all of them out, Andrew.” She sobbed between the sentences.

“That's great, Niesha! Nobody deserves any of this camp. You did a great thing,” he used her pauses to encourage her.

“Yeah, we did! It was great feeling. You should have seen it, all the happy faces.” She took a deep breath, and Andrew embraced her with the suspicion that the worst was coming. “Then we went past one of those rooms...”

She didn’t need to finish the sentence – Andrew knew very well what she was talking about. She had never talked much about it, but her expression while remembering was all he needed to know to imagine what she had to go through. Andrew pulled her into a tighter hug and rubbed her back.

“Shush, you're not there anymore. You’re back in Noctis. Safe. Everything will be fine. You are no longer alone,” he began to repeat the words as a mantra.

When she calmed down a bit, she continued: “When we went upstairs, there was a separate cell with a proof that Mars is really small. We met Scott's old colleague whom Zach helped save his research. They talked quietly for a while, and Zach looked a little disturbed afterwards. Then we finally found that Aurora guy. It was strange - he looked like he’s 70 or at least 60 years old. But he said he was only 50. You mancers don’t have it easy, do you?”

This sentence took Andrew by surprise. He has not been in the academy for so long, and he has not met many technomancers and thanks to that he completely forgot about this aspect of technomancy. That’s why all the masters had white or very bright hair. All of a sudden, he realized: ‘ _How many years I have left? Or is it only connected with using talents? Damn, I'll have to ask Zach._ ’

After she said all about the events of the day, Niesha stayed and they both spent almost a whole day telling stories. Andrew simply tried to distract her from the thoughts of the camp. Eventually, they fell asleep on the couch together.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

After breakfast with Niesha, both said goodbye, and Andrew went to find Zach. Like every morning, they met at the rover where Zach had breakfast overlooking the entire valley below the city. From there, they went to their daily training on the hidden platform. For Andrew, this activity has become the most popular part of the day.

When they both sat and rest, Andrew said: “Niesha told me ‘bout what had happened yesterday, and though she didn’t show it on the outside, it was hard for her. She also told me about the technomancer you brought in. And that reminded me of how mancers are getting older faster. Why all masters have white hair.”

“It is true. We tend to age faster. It's somehow related to how our bodies work, connected with our mu...” Zach stopped himself mid-word, stiffening a little. Then he cleared his throat and continued, “Even my hair was a bit darker - all of us will feel it eventually,” Zach said, he apparently took this as a fact in his life.

“OK. And I also wanted to ask if it's like… on its own or if it’s more connected with us using those _‘magic tricks’_?”

“I don’t know, Andrew. By using our talents, we certainly not helping it. Your hair is still dark,” Zach said, staring at Andrew's hair now. His hand seemed to move on its own, and he redirected it to his own hair in mid-motion.  Zach's hair had grown a little since his arrival to Noctis. His shaved section, as well as the top of his head, was now a little longer, but the difference in hair length was still well visible. The hair at the bottom of his head was much darker than they were before. However, the ends of the hair on the top were still bright as before. His new hairstyle suited him. He looked more relaxed, more himself. “But I think we all get there, using talent or not. I didn’t help you much, did I?” he said, shrugging his shoulders.

“Well, no. But at least you confirm my suspicion.”

“I have a question for you too.”

“Bring it on. It's only fair,” Andrew said, leaning his head to a side a little.

“You and Niesha are close. How is she, really? She acts as she so tough, but I know she isn’t OK. And when I wanted to ask her, she just... I still blame myself I took her with me.”

"Yeah, she ain’t OK and she has tendency to bottle things up. But we've known each other for a long time. We both didn’t have a super easy life, but we're here for each other. It helps.”

“I'm glad you have someone like that,” Zach said a little sadly, “Finding such a thing with someone else is almost a miracle.”

“Hey, that’s why the best friends are here for. To be here for one another, to support even in those moments when you're down.”

“Wait ... I thought Niesha and you are...,” Zach said after a long silence.

“That we’re together? Nah, just friends. She's an amazing and wonderful girl, but... You know how it is with us technomancers. Technomancy isolates us and there are things that no one else can or would understand. You can’t build on that. I've been there.”

Although he couldn’t use his talents for years, he still was a technomancer, still somehow different from everyone else. Once he made the mistake of telling this to one of his partners. That man couldn’t run away from him faster. There were so many emotions in his eyes, however, fear was the biggest one. At that moment, Andrew swore to himself he wouldn’t tell anybody. Even though deep down in his soul he wished to have a real relationship, occasional romances were better than complete loneliness. He's only a human after all.

Zachariah looked ahead and nodded. Still, Andrew had the feeling that there was _something_ that he wasn’t telling him. Despite all what they have did and experienced together, the new adventures as well as the old ones, there’s still something essential that Zach keeping from him. Something crucial for both of them. And Andrew felt like an outsider all over again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The last paragraphs were really hard to work with, but they are needed. Sorry!  
> And yes, Zach accidentally almost told him The Big Secret... He should do it but that would be too easy. ;)
> 
> Thank you for stopping by and reading. <3 And also thank you for kudos and comments. (I know I sound like broken record, but I am really glad you like it!)  
> Please don’t be afraid to tell me if you find any mistake I made.  
> Till next time!


	17. Step to Unknown

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Grab some popcorn and blanket and sit comfortably, because there is a lot happening in this chapter!

With all the fuzz around the camp and Niesha, Andrew didn’t notice Scott's disappearance. Well, not until he noticed Zach's behavior. He had been running around the city all day and asked everyone for some piece of information. When he didn’t act as private eye he was locked in his room or he was training in his small hiding spot. Andrew knew he was very troubled. During the time they found themselves again, he found out a lot about him, even more than Zach was aware of. For example - Andrew knows Zachariah’s stubborn, persistent, he never giving up what he had begun, and when he’s struggling with something, he close himself and acting like nothing is happening.

That's why Andrew tried to help him. He never refused when Zach came to him and asked for training. He also tried to be with him as much as possible, be the silence support Zach needed. It didn’t matter what they were doing - Zach's breakfasts at the elevator, the search for information, little help with making new upgrades to the equipment and so on. He even borrowed him one of his favorite books, hoping to bring his mind to other thoughts. Zach didn’t say anything, but to Andrew it was obvious he appreciated it. However, he knew he still could do more.

One day, Zachariah and Andrew decided to go to Dandolo. To see if he knew anything new. Unfortunately – nothing and of course that didn’t help Zach's mood at all. He turned around and before Andrew could reacted, Zach was running down the stairs. In the middle of the atrium he finally caught up with the young technomancer and grabbed his shoulder. With his head down, Zach let himself be turned and Andrew pulled him into his arms immediately. He didn’t know why, he just did. Zach froze a little, but he returned the hug. Only then Andrew realized what he was doing.

“Oh! Sorry Zach, I don’t know why... “ Andrew apologized and tried to quickly push away. Zach, however, didn’t let him go.

“It is ok. This is good… I didn’t know how I needed this...” he said quietly, and it seemed he buried his head even more into Andrew's chest. His hands firmly around him. And if it wasn’t the best feeling on Mars.

“Okay, well, I’m glad... that you don’t mind.” He was relieved. He didn’t want Zach to be mad at him just for one stupid hug. During the time they started to get know each other again, he noticed that Zach is not exactly a fan of physical contact. Especially on public.

And that’s how it started. When Zach was down - Andrew hug him in private or simply took his hand. Small physical contacts for grounding, and sometimes Zach returned him this kindness. As it turned out Zach wasn’t that much against physical contacts, he only keeps it for himself. To those who didn’t have the pleasure to get him know better, his whole personality seems to be telling the world that he doesn’t need such a thing, however, Andrew now heard that little voice whispering about his true nature.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

One day, early in the morning, Andrew heard loud knocks on his door. He quickly jumped out of bed, rubbed his eyes and put on something better than the old trousers he slept in. The knocking stopped for a moment, only to returned louder again.

“Shadows, **I'm coming!** It’s there a fire or something,” he said loud enough for an intruder to hear him on the other side of the door. When he finally opened he saw Zach, slightly out of breath. “What's going on? _Wait_ , how do you know where I live?”

“Niesha told me a while ago, just for the case. And now’s that case. As you know Viktor has people all over the city, but today Dandolo got an echo. He is afraid Viktor will take the whole city by attack, just to get us. Well, _me_. We must leave as quickly as possible. I'm sorry,” he added, taking Andrew's hand.

“Damn! Come on in, I’ll pack things up and we can go.” As soon as he put on his prosthesis he started to run around the apartment and looking for the biggest bag he had. When he finally found it, he began to put clothes and other personal belongings in it.

In the meantime, Zach leaned back against the kitchenet counter and looked around the apartment. “You've have it nice in here, I wish I had something like this. Something that belongs to me, where I can come back and feel good there. I'm sorry you have to leave it ‘cause of me.”

“I would lie if I told you I’m happy ‘bout this. But I know we'll get Dictor and I'll be able to come back here. And I think that after that you’ll get something better than your mouse trap of a room you have now,” Andrew joked and continued packing.

“ _Hey._ It's a shit hole, but it's _my_ shit hole! And I'm glad you believe in me that much.”

When he said it, Andrew picked up his full bag and grabbed Zach around the shoulders. He looked at his apartment for the last time and with his hand still around Zach's shoulders they walked out. When they were outside, he turned around and locked the door with a hope he will come back.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

It was strange to see their rover full of people. Not all of them traveled to all of their missions and tasks. Rover was full only on the way to visit Ophir. On top of that, Zach's brothers were also forced to squeeze inside today. No one inside knew what will happen next, what’s going to happen to them. They just hoped they managed to escape from Viktor's claws once again.

Aurora's technomancers, Dandolo and his men were already waiting for them. This was a huge step for all of them - not only to live outside the corporation they lived their whole life, but also leave it altogether, to run over to the other side. But everything was just a show for the ASC. After they defeated a group of soldiers, Dandolo confessed to his charade. Instead in Aurora they will find shelter in the legendary Mutant Valley.

However, nothing was easy for them, so why should today be a different. As soon as they reached the gates of the city, they had to turn around to go and rescue a group of mutants. They found them near the cave in one of the canyons leading to the Valley. And of course, they had to save them from the massive monster spitting poison. When they were escorting mutant's group to a safe place, they walked past an abandoned corporate check-point. Zach suddenly stopped, as if he was listening to something. Before anyone in the group could do anything, Zach went over a wall and disappeared out of the sight.

Andrew and everyone else were slowly losing their patience when the gate near opened. Andrew and Phobos quickly pulled out their weapon and stood in front of the group of mutants. Ready to fight and defend. But it was only Zachariah with now saved Scott by his side. Scott was in a very bad condition, all bruised and bloody. But one look at Zach confirmed that he was now much calmer and happier with his old friend by his side again. On the way forward, Andrew caught up with the young Mancer and grabbed his hand. Zach squeezed it lightly and smiled at him. As soon as they accompanied the mutants to the agreed place, they jumped down to the rover and headed back to the gates of the Valley.

After they tell the good news about now rescued mutants, they had finally been allowed to come in. Just as they passed the city's threshold, Andrew was astonished. Valley was wonderful. The city was full of life and colors. He never knew he would find a place competing with its beauty to Noctis. But here he was. However, nothing goes on forever and after just a few steps, there was another crisis. And no less than a power struggle over the whole city. Even bigger – over the whole mutant nation. The fight was hard. Cain was a respectable opponent. He fought for his cause, for his own truth. And he was almost as big as Phobos, the biggest mutant Andrew had ever met. But no one is better than Phobos.

After the final settlement about who will be the new leader of the mutants, Scum gave them several of the abandoned houses in the city as thanks for help. Andrew almost ran towards his. He had been with the others for few days now. Without proper sleep, peace and privacy. As soon as he closed the door, he put away his arm, removed the equipment in record time and made a bee line to a shower. He almost moaned with pleasure when warm water touched his tired body. After a long shower he didn’t even dress up, only jumped into a soft bed and immediately fell asleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Niesha told Zach where Andrew lives not only for a state of emergency, but also for other purpose. However, Zach didn’t get it. ;)
> 
> Thank you for stopping by and reading. <3 And also thank you for your comments.  
> Please don’t be afraid to tell me if you find any mistake I made.  
> Till next time!


	18. One Step Backward and Two Steps Forward

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Get ready for a mega mix of Angst and Fluff! It’s like a roller-coaster. (But mostly Angst)

After he woke up he felt like a new man. With a new strength he went to explore this amazing city. Andrew walked through the streets and was enjoying its atmosphere. He had lived in Noctis for a long time and after a long time spend in rover he was missing the rush of the city. The entire city was spread over several different craters and valleys. Broad and long main street with a marketplace full of fresh farm produce, small houses carved into a rock. The most interesting thing about this city, however, was how many plants were here. The largest concentration of flora was on farms and in the main crater.

Here he also found the other members of their small group of renegades, except for Zach. He undoubtedly was running around the city and helped everyone to fix what he could. Still, Andrew suddenly had a strange feeling and went to Amelia. She was sitting near a crater wall with her eyes closed and her feet up. She was enjoying such rare peace.

“Morning, Amelia. Did you saw Sparkle today?” The feeling grew stronger and Andrew couldn’t describe it or categorize it.

“Oh, hi. Sure, a couple of hours ago. We went to repair the city pump. It took us some time, I'll tell you. Nobody had looked at the machine for a long time. Then we came back here, and… I think he was talking to one of the mutants. Yeah, it was their new boss – Scum. Afterwards, he left somewhere to that direction. In fact, he looked somewhat disturbed. I think I heard something about Sean? _Fuck_ , why didn’t I connect it before? I hope Zach’s fine…” she said with concern in her voice and pointed to the direction Zach left.

“Thank you,” was the only thing he said and headed to where she was pointing.

That strange feeling couldn’t be ignored anymore. Zach spoke very often and with admiration about Master Sean. Whatever Scum told him, it certainly wasn’t good news. Now Andrew knew he must find Zach. As soon as he walked up the stairs from the main crater, he found himself in one of the caves. Its ceiling was covered with beautiful fabrics of all colors. At the junction he turned to the right into the more remote part of the valley. He let his legs to carry him. Still no trace of Zach. Suddenly, he felt the familiar, though very small pressure in his head, connected with someone's technomancy, but mainly with Zach's technomancy. Zach couldn’t be far.

“Zach!! Come on, **Zach!** **Where are you?** ” He called and searched his surroundings. In that moment he saw small flashes of light in the darkness of a deep niche. As soon as he got in he saw Zach sitting on the ground with his hands around his knees, his head hidden. According to all that electricity, he was on the brink of collapse. Just a step away from overloading. Andrew was frightened, and in a sec, he was on the ground next to Zach and dragged him into his arms. Zach's whole body seemed to throb with the energy that wanted to get out. Part of this energy transferred to Andrew immediately after he touch him, and he now served as a small human earthing device.

“Zach? **Zach!** Come on, say anything, anything!” Still no response. “ _Fucking fuck-!_ ”

Zach wasn’t responding at all and he panicked more and more with every other minute. Andrew hugged him tighter, rubbed his back and was still talking to him. He tried to tear him out of his head.

“Come on, Zach, you won’t blow us both up. I tried it and believe me, it wasn’t as fun as you think,” he joked with tears in his eyes. “You won’t leave me here alone. I know you won’t. Come back, baby, come back from the abyss,” he continued, his head buried in Zach's shoulder, the words now whispering in his ear. Before he knew, he began to put small kisses on temples, hair and on the forehead of a man in his arms.

He didn’t know how much time had passed but the sound of electricity was finally replaced by crying. Andrew paused as Zach shifted a little, hug him too and buried his head in Andrew's chest. Andrew let him and gave him all the time he needed. He realized how much he cared about this man, what he would do, sacrificed for him. How much he…

“ _Andrew_? What? How…?” Zach said after long quiet minutes. It was as if Zachariah was only now fully aware of what was going on.

“Zach? Thank the Shadows! Everything is alright now, I am here. Can you tell me what happened?” He asked with urgency in his voice. He needed to hear that he was all right and what caused all this mess.

Technomancer lifted his head and took a deep breath to suppress more tears and began: “Sean ... he ... Sean is _dead_.” Andrew hugged him again and Zach laid his head on his shoulder. “Scum told me how he had fled from the camp. How a man helped them, apparently technomancer ... He killed Sean ... To get out of the camp.”

“Oh, ba... Zach,” he corrected himself clumsily, hoping Zach didn’t notice it, “I'm sorry. I know he was like a father to you.” He hardly suppressed the need to overwhelm the other man with kisses or just simply stroke his hair.

After a moment of silence, a low voice came again: “He was, even though I never told him. But I think he somehow knew. If not, ... What am I going to do now, Andrew? All Mancers now listens to me, but I ... I'm not ready for it. I'm on my own ... Sean ... whoever would be much better for this ... Why didn’t I just let Melvin have this…? _Anyone_ …”

“You're not alone. I'm here ... and Scott, Amelia, Phobos and Niesha – hell, whole Noctis and Valley. We will defeat Dictor together! You won’t be alone ever again.”

“Thanks Andrew. Thank you so much. Without you ... I wouldn’t be here anymore,” Zachariah said, placing his chin on Andrew's shoulder. His hair tickled Andrew's face and neck.

Suddenly as if Andrew realized in what position and situation they were, he slowly rose and reached for Zach, who unwillingly let him go. But he took his hand and pulled himself to his feet. The way back to Valley was quiet. Each of them was submerged in their own thoughts.

Andrew's were still spinning around Zach and what he really feels towards him. What began as a re-found and still fragile friendship grew into brothers in arms and best friends. An inseparable duo. But Andrew knew, that for him Zach was more than all this, and today showed it to him. He didn’t want to lose him ... he cannot lose him.

But who would want him? A cripple who had never really achieved anything. That's why he must be here for Zach in different way, to help him with his mission as much as possible. To prove to himself and to everyone around that he is at least capable of _something_. He was playing with this thought for a while now, and now was the time to get this plan in motion. Decided, Andrew grabbed the other man's hand and stopped.

“Andrew, what's going on?” Zach was little worried.

“Listen, I've been thinkin’, and ... The fact that thanks to you and Scott I can use my abilities doesn’t make me a real technomancer... One of you. And I know I didn’t go through the same training as yall ... The thing is - I'm getting tired of being an outsider. I want to belong somewhere. And for you, it will be another Mancer to help you. So, if you, I guess, think I’m worthy, or _whatever_ …”

“Of course, I want you ... as a technomancer,” Zach added the second part of the sentence somewhat quickly, and a small smile appeared on his face. But Andrew didn’t miss it. It was like a spark that he quickly quenched. And Andrew didn’t blame him.

“Great!” Andrew smiled at him, “Wait, it isn’t some crazy ritual, isn’t it?”

“You have to find out for yourself, but we'll have to improvise. The old place is no longer usable. But I will think of something.”

And so, they returned to Valley. Andrew with a new hope, with new motivation and determination. At least for once in his life he can be useful, be good for something. And he will be near the men who he care so much about.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And yes - Zach mentally kicked himself after he added that second part of his sentence!
> 
> This idea is one of the main pillars on which this whole story stands. My first head canon which I started to transform into a proper scene.
> 
> Thank you for stopping by and reading. <3 And also thank you for your comments.  
> Please don’t be afraid to tell me if you find any mistake I made.  
> Till next time!


	19. Soulmates

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I think the title speaks for itself. Enjoy. ;)

After endless ride through the plains of Mars, they finally reached their destination. Finally, they stood at the entrance to the already visited dome, and Andrew noticed that Amelia remained in the rover. It was strange to come back here. The whole complex was unnaturally empty and silent. No ASC's soldiers, no giant mutant monsters - just him and Zach. Slowly they walked to the top through the empty rooms.

“Why’re we here?”

“My master brought me to a complex like this when I become a technomancer,” Zach's voice seemed to change completely in remembrance of his old master. “It was full of relics collected by generations of technomancers from Abundance. And even though it's gone I don’t want it to disappear. So, I'll tell you what I saw there. What Sean taught me.“

“…alright,” he said, hoping that Zach wouldn’t know from his voice how nervous he was.

It was week since he asked if he could become part of the order and Andrew has almost ceased to hope. It’s not like he is a top priority on the list of things the young Great Master must do. But he should have trusted Zach more. Slowly they came to the room with a large gate at the top of the dome.

“You miss him.” It wasn’t question. Andrew was there when Zach broke down after the news about his master's and old friend's death.

“You would like him, and I think he would like you as well. He hated how technomancers were treated in Abundance. It didn’t seem like it, but he was a rebel in heart and soul, and that spark in him never fade away. I’ve always admired this ‘bout him, his resilience,” now there was a spark in his voice and a sad smile on his face. He really admired and loved Sean with all his heart.

Meanwhile, they came in front of the giant door. They looked at each other and laid their hands on them at the same time. For Andrew, to see how these type of gates opens will never get old.

“In the old place there was a large circular room full of books and other artifacts. And there was a terminal too.” Zach's voice was now full of authority and confidence. The voice of the true Great Master of the Order. Andrew's knees almost turned into jelly after his first sentence. “When I turned it on, there was an old recording.” Zach turned directly to Andrew and continued, “A doctor examining a man. The man, apparently, went through a mutation that allowed his body to generate massive electrical charge. He was one of the _first_ technomancers, Andrew.”

This took Andrew by surprise. Is it possible - technomancy is actually a mutation? “So, you're telling me that the two of us, we all are...?”

“... afflicted with a specific mutation. _Yes._ The colonists studied it and created our gear,” he said, taking a cup, pouring some of the water he had to prepared before into it and handing the cup to Andrew with the words of initiation. Andrew listened him carefully.

 “... As you drink the sap of this world, the water that feeds our lives… abandon who you thought you were and now, become our brother, _Andrew Mancer_. Together we’re shared the water and secret. Now swear to forever…”

When Zachariah said his new title, new name, a weird sensation passed through him. Weird but in the best way weird. Finally, he belongs to somewhere, to _someone_. To the man in front of him, saying the oath of the order.

“… and protect our secret… even if you must sacrifice your life to do so.”

“I swear I will.”

Zach smiled and said, “Then, welcome, brother.”

When they left the room, they didn’t return to the vehicle. They sat on the edge of the second floor of the dome and talked about everything and anything. When there was nothing more to say they sat side by side in calming silence. And Andrew again began to think about what he really feels to the man beside him. From that day in a niche, a dam has broken. His feelings for him were stronger every day, every hour. He knew it cannot continue like this forever. He has to do something about it. He must tell Zach, even if it’ll mean rejection and disappointment. That's why he was looking for the right words now. Irony - this was probably the first time he didn’t know how to say something.

“I wanted to thank you for everything you did for me. It was more than anyone did for me my whole life. Noone’s ever given me this much as you. I have never ... never been so close to anyone. I meant to say .... _I guess_ -…what I’m saying is…” His words gone again. ‘ _Why is it so hard?!_ ’

Suddenly he felt Zach's hand in his own. Since Scott's disappearance, it was normal for them. Now it was somehow different, special and better than a thousand words. Even though they both wore gloves, Andrew felt the warmth of Zach's hand. His thumb sometimes strokes over the back of Andrew's hand. Zach said nothing, just smiled at him, and let him find the right words again.

Andrew took a deep breath and continued, “You mean a lot to me, Zach. More than a friend, more than a brother in arms, _more_ ... I would go with you to the end of the world and back ... You’re someone I want to be like. Or better, someone I'd love to be with ...”

Zach said nothing. He just looked at him, entwined their fingers, raised their linked hands and kissed back of his hand. A man of few words, but of big actions, as always. Andrew could not believe what was happening. Some of his brain cells still refused to understand what had happened and what it meant. That's why he looked right in the eyes of this amazing man and saw complete devotion, respect and love. All his doubts dissipated. Zach wanted him the same way he wanted him.

He grabbed back of his neck and pulled him closer. He stopped with their lips just a few millimeters away, waiting for Zach to do the final, and yet the first step. Fortunately, he didn’t have to wait long. Zach let go of him and put his hands around his waist instead, pulling Andrew even closer to him and finally kissed him. Although it lasted a short time, it was the best and sweetest kiss in Andrew's life.

“Andrew, you mean the whole world to me, without you… I couldn’t do any of what I done since I met you. I'm so glad I found you again and that you're in my life again. I would do everything for you.” As he finished, Andrew was in seventh heaven. He put both hands to Zach's hair and began to kiss him again. But this kiss was much longer, and both of them began to smile. It ended with both breath-less.

They sat there for a while, holding each other and kissed. In that, Amelia appeared downstairs, none of them noticed her until she coughed and said loudly: “Hey, you two lovebirds. I'm glad you _finally_ figured it out, but I'd like to get in soft bed tonight. And surely you too,” she said, and they could see from above that she blinked at them.

So, they both got up. Andrew was ready to jump down, but Zach caught his elbow and stopped him. He took both his hands and leaned his head until their forearms touched. It was just a small, innocent gesture, but there was something more intimate in it than in the kisses they exchanged before. Andrew just closed his eyes and let himself be surrounded by it. It all ended when he felt a fleeting kiss replacing Zach's forehead. Andrew opened his eyes again and the two men smiled and jumped down.

In the rover, they sat side by side, their linked hands in Andrew's lap. Zach's head on his shoulder. They only enjoyed that close contact. Eventually, lullaby by the rover motion, they fell asleep and woke up only as rover stopped. Both came out of rover, hand in hand, and entered the city. Zach led them to his house, which Scum had given him.

As they stood outside, suddenly Andrew said, “I can just go if you want to be ...”

“Andrew, I never want to be alone anymore. I have been so terribly long time alone that I have not hoped for anything like this. You’re what keeps me going. So, as long as you want me, I’m yours.”

“Come here, you…” he didn’t finish, dragging him into a long, passionate kiss and slowly maneuvering them inside. Just as they were inside he slammed the door behind them. That night all the light bulbs in the Valley blew up.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I also had an idea where Andrew was sth like: “Soo, … we are both Mancers, hm. It’s like we got married…” – but it was too cheesy, and this version is much better. ;)
> 
> I have some trouble with the next chapter… so there are two scenarios: 1) it will come out the way as it is now OR 2) miss Muse will kick me again and I’ll finish the idea I started (this same thing applies on future chapter 22 as well, we will see how it’ll go)
> 
> Thank you for stopping by and reading. <3 And also thank you for your comments.  
> Please don’t be afraid to tell me if you find any mistake I made.  
> Till next time!


	20. Lazy Morning

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you, my dear Muse. For finding me again and for letting me finish this chapter and triple its length after it lay untouched for months! You are truly a divine entity, working in the most mysterious ways.
> 
> My attempt of bed fluff…

The first thing Andrew realized when he woke up, was that he hadn’t felt this well-rested for a long time. With the escape from Noctis and the constant threat of Viktor over their heads, there was not much room for a quality sleep.

The second realization was that he didn’t lie in bed alone. Zachariah lay behind him, his chest against Andrew's back, his hand around his waist. Their legs entwined under the blanket.

And in the third he realized he want to wake up like this until the end of the world. That this feeling will never get old. That he never get enough of Zach.

And so, he enjoyed the moment. A room full of the morning sun, the closeness of their bodies and the sense of security in the embrace of the other man. Last night was something incredible, indescribable to both. When their bodies first joined, it was as if their internal electricity somehow merged, evened out. Two pieces of puzzles that finally fit into each other. It was something that only two mancers could experience. Only the two of them could. Something that cannot be shared with anyone else, and Andrew didn’t want to.

In that he felt as Zach, half awakened, drawn him even closer to himself and buried his face in Andrew's hair. As he noticed, Zach was fascinated by his hair. He wanted to touch or pet them all the time. Andrew, in turn, found that the little scar on his right ear was very sensitive. Any contact, a small bite or kiss and Zach is completely melted with pleasure. It will be something he will abuse.

“Good morning,” said half-sleepy and incredibly sexy voice followed by a kiss on his shoulder.

“Good morning.” Andrew turned and kissed his lips.

The kiss has grown into a series of more kisses. Zach lay on his back and Andrew put his head on his chest. The beat of Zach's heart was soothing. Before he knew, the other man stroked his hair again. Andrew smiled, closed his eyes and enjoyed the feeling of his fingers.

“I remember how at least half of the girls in the academy were in love with you. You may not have seen the looks they were sending your way,” Zach began to remember.

“I saw them, but I ignored them. And if, I was just playing with them, flirted. But nothing more. I already knew, that's not for me,” Andrew answered, his head still on Zach's chest, his hand around his waist.

“Hmm.”

“Hmm, what?” Andrew lifted his head and asked about Zach's sudden silence.

“Nothing ...” he tried to dodge the question.

“Come on, Zach. It must be somethin, when you’re all blushing.”

“I just, already at the school ... I never had the courage ... I didn’t even know if you...”

“Baby, you too were something special back then. If the Accident didn’t happen, I would come to you, eventually. You managed to escape me then, the second time it won’t happen.”

“I hope so. You were and still are the opposite of me. Your character, the fighting style. I love everything about you – your determination, your ...” he stopped at half-sentence, and his ears were impossibly red. His gaze fixed up to the ceiling.

“Oh, Zach ... Honey, you don’t have to be ashamed ... and if you don’t want, you don’t have to say it. But I ... Maybe it's a bit early, but I do love you,” he said, slowly moving on top of Zach and starting to kiss him slowly and long.

Zach just smiled and said, “I love you, too,” and began to return the kiss a bit more passionately. It didn’t take long, and they both moved as one again. Their movements perfect and synchronized as on the battlefield - this time only with more satisfying end.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

When he awoke again, the bed was empty. But the sound of flowing water calmed him down. Zach was showering in his tiny bathroom. Too small for one person, let alone two. Pity, he had to wait for his turn.

When Andrew got out of the small bathroom in the boxers and dried his hair with a towel, Zach was almost dressed in his everyday clothes. When he started looking for his own clothes, he couldn’t find it anywhere.

“Zach, baby, are you trying to imprison me in your room by hiding my clothes?”

Zach didn’t say anything, just pointed at the bed. His other hand was gently massaging his right temple. There lay the grey technomancer's uniform of Abundance. As soon as Andrew saw it, he almost squeaked with joy. His own official uniform.

“I see that go to bed with the Great Master has other side benefits...” Andrew didn’t miss to joke as he looked at the beautiful piece of clothing. Zach just rolled his eyes. “But seriously - are the others cool with me being one of you now?”

“Don’t worry, love, I talked to them and they all agreed.” He kissed Andrew on his cheek, and added, “And will just look at it, or do you want to wear it too? You aren’t the only one who want to see you in it.”

Despite all the added improvements, the uniform was very comfortable. Now he understood why Zach had barely taken it away. Besides, Zach's shoulders were always incredibly wide in the uniform. Andrew felt incredibly powerful in it. It's a shame that it’s not had a coat, too.

“So, how do I look like?” He asked, making several poses.

“I'd like to strip you out of it again,” Zach said, kissing him. “But Melvin sent for me. I hope it won’t take long. Do we meet for training, in about an hour?”

“Sure,” he said, kissing him again. In that, Zach massaged his temple again. “You’re OK? Does your head hurt?”

“It's nothing, just ... Implants sometimes acts stupid.”

“Zach, that’s not good,” Andrew said, and began to massage one of his temples. Zach closed his eyes and leaned a bit into his hand. “Does this happen often?”

Zach looked at him, sighed with surrender, and said, “When I don’t draw fluids for some time. All the energy that’s being gathered ...”

“Why didn’t you tell me before?”

“I …”

“You know I've been through this or something like this myself. I can help you with it.” Zach took a breath to answer, but Andrew interrupted him before he could say anything. “Baby, for once, let _me_ help _you_. Please?”

“Okay ... but I really have to go,” he said, kissing him farewell.

“In an hour in the crater. And don’t think you've out of the woods, yet.”

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

When Zach walked into their training crater and saw Andrew in his normal clothes, little disappointment was visible on his face. He probably hoped Andrew would forget about his morning migraine.

“Don’t look at me like this, this’ll help you,” Andrew began, as Zachariah finally sat down beside him. “Now - close your eyes and breathe deeply and slowly. Try to calm down as much as possible, soothe your thoughts. Focus on something nice. Do you have it?”

In that he felt Zach's hand in his own. “I do.”

Andrew couldn’t help himself and a small smile appeared on his face and he felt a little red on his cheeks. “Oh, clever, you sweet talker. But don’t try to distract me. This’s serious.”

After a moment of silence, Zach said, “Did the rogue technomancer teach you this? The one you met as a teenager?”

“Shiro. Yeah, this was the first thing she taught me.”

“What she’s like? You never told me about her.”

“I think, in many ways, she’s like your master. She’s a rebel in heart and soul. After she was able to escape she didn’t stop. She's still traveling. Actually, it's pretty damn weird that we haven’t met her yet,” he said, smiling. He hadn’t remembered his mentor for a long time. From time to time, he wondered where she was now. “She helped me a lot, with technomancy as well as with my own life and behavior. Thanks to her I am who I am today. I owe her a lot. More than I owed Marcelo. I wouldn’t have survived without her ...”

“I should thank her ... once I meet her.”

As he continued with stories, he didn’t realize how much time had actually passed, and he almost forgot why they were here.

“How do you feel? Better?”

“Much better. Thanks,” Zach said, kissing his hand.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> …turned itself into angst and into an outdoor fluff again.
> 
> A bit late but – I made a playlist for Andrew ages ago, named Don’t give up. And I basically made it as I was writing this fic so it (should) fit all what is happening here. [YouTube](https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLzGVcmnTib8tGcNWMO4b0b4jKNgCx88ZD) or [Spotify](https://open.spotify.com/user/21z25ij635duhqii32swritra/playlist/5hBlSM6qWZg3ANQr6MqDqo?si=HPQ48XIASnmAW-goaNdnAw) (some of the songs can be missing, bc I could not find them on Spotify)
> 
> Thank you for stopping by and reading. <3 And also thank you for your comments.  
> Please don’t be afraid to tell me if you find any mistake I made.  
> Till next time!


	21. Back to Square One

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> One more of the Zach’s POV chapters
> 
> Ladies and Gentlemen – Please, get on the train and take a seat, our next station – Feeladephia.

Just as Zach heard where Patience should be, his mood changed instantly. And no wonder, he certainly didn’t expect he would ever return to the dome originally used by Abundance's Technomancers. A lot had changed since his initiation. Both for the better and the worse. He himself had changed.

Phobos, Andrew and he stepped out of the rover just a short distance from where he and Sean both exited the train. A wave of memories of the day flooded Zach. The day which supposed be the beginning of the rest of his life. His life as an Abundance technomancer and an army officer. Obedient and useful citizen of his corporation. Sean expressed his concern about whether he was ready for this life. Whether he was ready to lose the rest of the little freedom he had till then.

“This place will be full of ASC soldiers. If they hold our friend in captivity, we must be more… sophisticated with our approach. One careless move from our side and they can do something unwise," said Phobos. And as always, he was right.

“You're right. We cannot risk anything happening to him.”

“So, this is where you were initiated?” Andrew said.

“Yeah. But the dome was in better condition ... and the ASC troops weren’t here. Just a giant mantis,” he said with a small smile on his lips. He’s still having nightmares about that monstrosity, but now it seemed like one big joke.

“ _Giant mantis?_ Wait ... Was that a part of the initiation? If so, I'm glad you skipped this part this time.”

“No, it wasn’t. But now when you mention it ...” he began, barely holding a serious face.

“Don’t you dare! It was enough to fight with it in the Championship. And there was _three_ of us. _Never more._ ”

“Don’t worry. If Sean wasn’t there with me, I wouldn’t be here anymore ...” he calmed him and ran down the stairs to a small building under the train line.

“I agree with Andrew, even though he is a capable fighter ...”

“Thanks.”

“… facing this leviathan alone is on the boarder of insanity. You were lucky your master was with you. He was a good man.”

“Yes, he was.” After they defeated the first group of soldiers, he continued: “There were probably soldiers or somebody like that, dressed as the looters. But all monsters inside were unplanned. Though I learned a lot from it.”

“Must be strange coming back. All the memories.”

 _“Zachariah, look. This is where we are heading. The dome was built by the first settlers ... a relic itself. But we aren’t here for sightseeing today, there are unwelcome guests.”_ Sean's voice said in his head. The words he spoke as they stood exactly on this same protrusion, overlooking the complex below them. He immediately remembered as his Master stood there. Sean's back turned to Zach and looking down at the dome beneath them. His hands crossed on his chest and the last rays of the sun reflecting in his white hair and metal implants. _“According to reports – looter. It would be best to keep them out of the dome. Zachariah, do you remember your first lesson?”_

 _“On the scarcity of life?”_ He still heard himself from that day. Full of expectation and fear of the unknown. So different from who he is now. More Zachariah Rogue than Mancer. At least he felt that way at that moment. So much was new and bigger than he. It was the first time he had ever seen the sky. City boy scared as he left the safety of the city for the first time in his life.

 _“Indeed. The very one. Kill a fellow unfortunate and you will find yourself a step closer to total solitude in this cruel world. Disable your enemies but spare their lives.”_ Zach just smiled after this memory. He still respected this principle, and despite his anger and hatred towards ASC, none of them he killed. He never killed anyone, really – Boris, David, Jeffrey and more are literally living proofs.

The party slowly walked down and closer to the ruined dome when Sean's voice returned: _“We're close. Take note that enemy forces are waiting for us. There.”_ Zach turned almost unconsciously to the direction he remembered his master pointed. _“The rocky outcrop. Scale it and report back your findings.”_ ASC was everywhere, so there was no reason not to go there today as he did all the months ago.

On his every step, he remembered new detail from that day. As Sean kept back in the fights and watched Zach closely. Every Zach's step, attack and behavior were monitored. It was all a test if he’s a good technomancer, a good person. That day, he was too nervous and frightened to notice it. If he hadn’t passed the test, it wouldn’t be just a demonstration of his incompetence, but also of his master's inability. And this troubled him more than his own failure.

As he stood on the edge of the jump, he noticed a solitary soldier. Just like before. _“Do you see the guard here? Separated from the rest of them. That’s our chance. Give him lesson to never do the same mistake again. Sneak on him and the battle will be easily won.”_ So, he did. Like a hundred times before on his missions. Another useful lesson from his old friend. The soldier went straight to the ground this time. His skills and technique were so much more advanced than months ago.

They finally freed Patience from ASC's hands, and Zachariah could finally look at the ruins of a once-awesome place. The complex that was once perfectly preserved and maintained by the Mancers from the Order was now in ruins as well as the order itself. So many relics and knowledge were just gone, and he and Sean were the last to be here.

As he was standing in front of everything that left of the complex full of relics that had been gathered by generations of technomancers, he felt hands around his waist and heard Andrew's soft voice, “Are you okay? You seem a bit distracted.”

“I just ... As you said, there's a lot of memories. Not just of Sean ...” he paused. The memories of his master were still too fresh for him to be able to talk about him. Even remembering was quite exhausting. He wondered if he would ever be able to talk about his friend again as easily as before. “You should’ve seen it here. As soon as the door opened the only thing you saw were miles of books. Everything inside was in perfect condition, fully functional ... and now it's all gone. _He_ 's gone ... they're all gone.”

“Someone maybe, but not everyone. You still have ... _we_ still have brothers and sisters waitin’ in the Valley. And knowledge – we'll just have to reassemble and record everything that others remembers. Something we may have lost, but certainly not hope.”

“Andrew, love, I don’t know what to say. You are among us for a short time and you’re already talking like a true Mancer. I’m proud of you.”

‘That's ‘cause I have the best teacher.”

“Thanks, I'm doing my best,” Zach said, turning and gave a little kiss on Andrew's cheek.

“I was talking ‘bout Sam, but you're not bad either.” When he said it, Zach laughed and punched him into his shoulder. But he knew why Andrew had said it. He always sensed when Zach needed to lift his mood. Just another reason why he loves this man.

“Let’s go. We have a lot of work ahead of us,” he said more loudly so Phobos and Patience could hear it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Me? Having a lot of feelings about Sean? Absolutely 100% YES! **SEAN!!**
> 
> I’m kidding you not – I was listening to the music as I was working on this and _The sound of silence by Disturbed_ started playing – even my music player knew…
> 
> Thanks to our Discord for 'Giant mantis is now a part of initialization' idea
> 
> Sam is the name we came up on our Discord server for that badass older female Mancer Zach must fight to become a Great Master.
> 
> Thank you for stopping by and reading. <3 And also thank you for your comments.  
> Please don’t be afraid to tell me if you find any mistake I made.  
> Till next time!  
> 


	22. It’s Easy to Find Hate

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I borrowed the title from a name of the song. I don’t even know the band, I just saw and thought the name is cool and fitting.

It was obvious that since his talk with the mutants, who had witnessed the conversation between Alan and Scott, Zach wasn’t in his skin. In fact, he wasn’t since they rescued Scott. Zach wondered what Scott was doing there. And the mutants didn’t help him much.

One afternoon, Zach lay on their bed, staring for half an hour in the ceiling. For the whole week, Zach was completely unfocused, and he was acting like a ghost of himself. Andrew wondered how he can help him, and he was slowly running out of the ideas. It was time to act.

“Sorry, babe, but your comatose state is getting bit of old.” Zach's only answer was hum on a sign he was listening to him. “That's exactly what I'm talking about. You have to talk to Scott, there's no better solution.”

“I know, I know, but how should I start a conversation about this? Should I be like: ‘ _Sorry, my-almost-father, but I suspect you did something massively crazy?_ ’ Especially when I know what he did to Amelia's dad?“

“I don’t know either. But everything is better than what you are doing now,” Andrew said. He didn’t want to start to argue over such small thing, but sometimes you just need to put your foot down. “Don’t force me to put inappropriate means of negotiation.”

“And what’s that?” Zach asked with curiosity and a bit of sarcasm in his voice. Andrew just crossed his arms on his chest, leaned his head slightly on the side, looked directly into his eyes and raised one eyebrow. “No ... Come on! You cannot do that to me! To _us_!”

“I can, and I will,” Andrew said triumphantly. “And if you talk to Scott today, there will be something extra. So?”

“Okay, you won,” Zach said resigned as he rose from the bed.

“Thank you,” Andrew said, kissing Zach on his cheek.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Andrew didn’t know whether the fact he hadn’t seen Zach all afternoon was a bad or a good sign. But this was a matter between Zach and Scott, and so he tried to not think about it that much. He already mixed into this more than he should. He only hoped everything was fine.

When he saw Zach later, he couldn’t believe how he could close himself up. Andrew had seen it several times before, but this was a whole new level. No one in this state could guess what exactly is going on inside Zachariah's head. But Andrew knew him. One look at him and he knew Zach was grumpy and was angry with someone. And in the light of today's events, the one to whom his anger was directed was Scott. Andrew mentally kicked himself for forcing Zach into the conversation. Zach's state was his fault as it was Scott's.

So, he sat next to him on the couch and pulled him into his arms. Zach just leaned more into his hug and hid his head between them.

“You know I'm here for you, whatever happens. You don’t need to tell me anything yet, but it's hurting me to see you like this.” Zachariah didn’t say anything that day and after a while he fell asleep in Andrew's arms.

In the morning, Zach still said nothing, only told him to dress for their morning training. On the way to one of the walled craters that had served them as their training ground, there was still no word. And Andrew understood it. Sometimes you have to sort out and process what had happened before you can talk about it. Only after an hour of unusually harsh training, did Zach between his staff hits began to spoke, about what Scott had told him.

About his son and research. How, thanks to Mark, he found the secrets of technomacy. The origins of Zach's and Andrew's abilities - the true reason why he stayed close to Zach. And how willing he was to return to Abundance.

He stopped fighting somewhere in the middle and only stood there and spoke. Andrew came to him and sat him down slowly. Andrew was leaning against the wall, Zach between his legs, leaning back on him. Andrew took his hands into his as a sign that everything was all right. That he’s here. He understood what this betrayal was to Zach, finding that his oldest friendship was based on lies.

He realized that Scott didn’t have to be the old, crazy and harmless drunk Andrew thought he was. ‘ _Were I and Zach really the only children he tested his serum on? Does Zach think about the same thing now? Can he admit and think of everything Scott did or could do?_ ’

“Even if you don’t see it now, I hope Scott is still the same person. In the beginning, you were just an experiment for him, but I think he started to like you over the years.” He wanted to add so much more, but Zach was hurt enough as he was now. Andrew shouldn’t add more, not now.

“I ... It's hard to get over it. He was ... he's like my father. He and Sean ... were the only few friends I had. My only family.”

“I wish I was there for you. That you were not alone.” This distracted Zach from his mood a little and he smiled.

“Me too. But on the other hand, everything could be completely different. I'd rather be alone in past than to live my whole life without you. I love you.”

“As I love you, always,” Andrew said, kissing him.

It will take some time to settle everything, but Zach is persistent, and Andrew will always be here for him. But for today, there was no more to be done. All the emotions and the wounds were still too fresh. They sat there for a while, when Zach's stomach grunted and so they both got up and went hand in hand to their house. Andrew had after all promised him to make an ostrich egg cream and tomato soup.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I bet you thought that Andrew was talking about sth naughty… ;)
> 
> I’m kinda not too happy about this chapter to be honest. And even if it’s a good piece of work, I’m still displeased. Especially when I know and read all the fantastic fics working with this part of the game. I tried to work on it more, but my Muse was like: _*shrugging her shoulders* “You on your own. Good luck.”_ But it’s an important point in Zach's life and I couldn’t skipped it.
> 
> Originally this chapter was a bit different. I change it after the discussion about Scott on our Discord. Scott is one of my favorite characters (he’s fantastically written and his VA is 100%) and maybe thanks to this fact I overlooked or whatever, what he’d really done. In original version (this affected future chapters, too) Scott was forgiven way too easily and fast – now he has much longer journey ahead of him. Sorry Scott, I still love you, but damn you’re a dark character.
> 
> Thank you for stopping by and reading. <3 And also thank you for your comments.  
> Please don’t be afraid to tell me if you find any mistake I made.  
> Till next time! 3 more to go!


	23. Calm Before the Storm

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the second shortest chapter. However, the next one will compensate this shortage. I promise!

It was time to gather all of their allies and set out on a path to stop the threat name ASC and colonel Viktor Watcher. Fortunately, there was a lot of ideas, especially thanks to all the people who wanted to see Viktor pay for everything he did to them. And it was because of the amount of work that had to be done, that the crew was divided into groups for every individual tasks. There was little time, and not everything required the presence of their unwavering leader.

While Zach negotiated army support with Eliza Major, Andrew and Amelia listened to the judge asking for help with his son's rescue, and Phobos with Scott went to the mutant’s pen to help with mutants’ escape plan and asked around for the information about entrance to the ASC base. Meanwhile, Niesha was asking Black Dahlia about the alleged use of hookers as spies. Once they were all finished, they met at Curiosity's to discuss the next move.

Andrew and Amelia headed for a secret entrance to the enemy base. The entrance was only a short distance from the Technomancer Chapel and led them to one of the back rooms of the complex of the base. According to the mutants, the cells were at the far end and the garage with the warehouse was just a short distance from it. It was not a problem to sneak around the guards, and in case of emergency, a spark to the back of their necks helped. Finding the warehouse was easy, and they went to the cell with backpacks full of warm polar clothing. In addition, Amelia has taken some useful equipment and some parts from ASC garage. Andrew only approved it.

With the load on their backs, they moved toward the direction of the cells. Neither of them knew that make judge's son cooperate will be this hard. They were brain-washing this poor young man and told him that his father didn’t want him for long enough he started to believe it. Andrew had to pull all the aces and use all his charm before he started to listen to them. The way back to the exit was a little harder with the other man, but eventually they did it without triggering an alarm. Once the son was safe again, the task was completed.

The others were also successful in their work. Niesha found the tablet full of information she was looking for, Zach, with Scott's help, successfully persuaded some of the members of the Assembly, the mutants arrived to the Valley and in the streets of Ophir people slowly began to whisper about what kind of man Viktor really is. Their work in Ophir was over. The next step was to get into the complex hidden under the ice, deep in the south.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for stopping by and reading. <3 And also thank you for your comments.  
> Please don’t be afraid to tell me if you find any mistake I made.


	24. The Ice Dome

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The longest (over 2k words) and second-to-last chapter, ladies and gentlemen!

The journey to the Ice Dome was long and grueling, but they were here at last. In this incredible, frozen city of the first colonists. Unfortunately, ASC was already here. As always one step ahead of them. But this is the end, they will finally defeat Viktor with his army and complete the task of technomancers - to contact Earth.

As soon as they got out of the rover, Scott remembered he had his laboratory here, all the years ago. Unfortunately, he didn’t remember where exactly it was. But as Andrew knows Zach, they’ll search every bit of this forgotten city and reveal its every secret.

Fortunately, Scott's lab wasn’t far. What, or rather, whom they found inside was surprising. Alan sat there and read a set of notes. Scott's notes. When he saw the trio in the door, he almost jumped in surprise.

“You knew it! You all knew it!”

“That we’re mutants? Yeah, that's the big secret you learn during the initiation. And the one we protect at the cost of our lives. Now you understand why,” Zach answered in his Grandmaster voice.

“You and the others, that I can see ... But me?! I could never be anything like that ...”

“Alan, it’s true. Ian, Connor, Sean, Melvin – we all have the genes that the first settlers have experimented with.”

“ **Shut up** ,” Alan shouted, and attacked Zach. But as before he had no chance against three opponents and he finally admitted his defeat.

“Why are you doing all of this, why do you want to destroy all technomancers?” Andrew asked.

"You and Zach were so gifted and for that so loved by the Masters. And I hated you for that and I didn’t even know why. I just did. I always thought I was something special ... only if I knew that then.” Then he turned directly to Zach. “Sorry, Zachariah. They – he already knows. Because of me… he was here when I discovered it. At that moment, I was nothing but a piece of meat for him. You must stop him, please.”

“That we will. The main question is, what we’re going to do with you-”

“The young man tortured me. He almost killed me!” Scott's voice interrupted him. “The eye for the eye is not a solution. Not in this case, Zachariah. Everyone deserves a second chance.”

“I know, Scott,” Zach said a little too roughly, “I wanted to send Alan to our rover. You’ll leave this place with us. There’s only a few of Technomancers and ... we’ll see what others will think about you. It's not just on me now.”

After escorting Alan to the rover, they went deeper into the frozen city.  Members of ASC were at every corner. However, nothing this close to their goal will stop them. The whole city was incredible. Each step revealed more of the mysteries of this lost place. Just thinking about that hundreds of years ago, people and scientists of the new civilization on Mars were here, was breathtaking.

“You must’ve be some kind of masochist to set up a lab here. That cold itself…,” Zach said, shivering with cold. Andrew could only agree with him. Despite the several layers of clothing, he felt the unbelievable cold.

“I had all the motivation in the world, boy. I did it to save my son, my own blood. Everything else was unimportant.”

Some time had passed since Scott's revelation, but there was still a great deal of caution and tension between the two men. Despite everything Zach learned from doctor, it couldn’t destroy completely his feelings towards him. Scott was and will be a big figure in Zach's life. Maybe it was the whole intention – to take Scott with them and find the common ground again.

“So, this is where it all began ...” Zach's voice was quiet, as if he didn’t want to ask.

“Yes, Zachariah. Here I discovered everything for my research. You could say it's your birthplace.”

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

The dome complex was huge, and thanks to the ice that slowly absorbed the city it wasn’t easy to find the right way. To Andrew, it seemed they were wandering here for days. Almost every route ended with a dead-end and on top of that, they had to fight with ASC and unknown monsters. They finally reached a large open space and saw a large group of soldiers standing in front of the huge door. Andrew just hoped it was the last fight they had to go through and the last door they had to walk through.

Just as they climbed the last step, a familiar voice said: “Zachariah Mancer. I was wondering if I’ll see you here. I must admit you’re quite capable... for a mutant,” he added, as an insult.

But Zach's face remained totally motionless, leaving no emotion be seen on him. But Andrew knew very well how he really felt. He himself was just a step away from punching Viktor. And this is the first time he met him.

“But you’re too late. I’ve already discovered your little secret you whispered between yourself. And imagine how many such secrets is hidden in this city. I will use each one of them and return ...”

‘ _By the Shadow, this guy really loves his own voice and monologs. What is he playing at? The cliché villain?_ ’ Andrew thought. ‘ _And does he really think we let him do all of this? He's really a shithead._ ’

“…to the right spot. Do you think you're going to make a career with this… stray dog?” Viktor began to bring both Scott and Zach into this, and Zach's mask began to crack. “You made a breakthrough. I must say that I am your admirer. When you join me, I'll arrange a nice place for you ...”

“Sir, your speech is as empty and glamorous as a dead mole,” Scott interrupted Viktor. “You think you're better than everyone around you, but you're so _wrong_. Technomancers – they’re the future, while you ... you are ... _how dare you!_ Zachariah is like a son to me. And you are just a raving simpleton with too much power.”

“I ... Thanks, Scott,” Zach said, apparently surprised by doctor's words. “But I'm afraid the insults are not enough this time. Your path ends here, Viktor.”

Viktor just raised his hand to sign his soldiers and the fight began. This group of men was composed from the best of the best. One soldier was bigger and stronger than the other. The fight was long and strenuous, but the trio slowly and surely managed to reduce the enemy's numbers. Viktor stood in the background the whole time, to keep his hands clean. When all his men had fallen, he had no choice but to fight for himself.

But just after a few hits, he fell to the ground. The group looked at each other in confusion, none of them understood exactly what had happened.

The first one who spoke was Andrew: “Was he really _that_ weak? He wasn’t even able to pull his gun out.”

“He got a heart attack,” Scott said, kneeling at Viktor's body.

“How ironic. The Tyrant of many betrayed by his own health,” Andrew couldn’t help himself. Zach just looked at him, eye-rolled and hugged surprised Scott and thanked him once again. Step by step. Relative peace and quiet was interrupted with the terrifying sound. “What the hell was that? That monster must be huge!”

“Whatever it is, we have to move on. Viktor wasn’t the only reason we are here,” Zach said.

When they reached the last platform in front of the gate, Andrew stopped Zach by taking his hand. If this is really their final steps to their goal, he has to say something. Zach turned and smiled at him.

“Andrew, what's going on?”

Andrew took a deep breath, took his both hands and began, “I just ... This is big. We are about to contact the Mother Earth. No one has heard from her for a hundred years and ... and if we succeed, everything on Mars will change. Our lives will change. Are you ready for that?”

Zach took a step forward and touched their foreheads. “Maybe… And you?”

“Part of me is scared. So much will change with the help from the Earth. How will they look at us, on technomancers and mutants alike? On all what become of Mars? But the other part tells me that everything will be fine ... as long as we stick together. Whatever happens, I'm always by your side, I'm always here with you. I love you.”

“And I’m always with you. I love you too. Now come, let's make history.”

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

As soon as Zach walked through the open gate, his pace got quicker, and he headed toward the building at the end of the long bridge. And these extra meters decided on next events. Andrew and Scott wanted to catch up on him, but a huge piece of snow and ice fell down of the ceiling. Formed wall was too high and smooth to climb over it and hard as a rock.

Andrew's panic increased as he heard the terrifying roar again. This time right behind the ice wall. Where Zach was.

“Zach! **ZACH!** Can you hear me?” He shouted. But his voice was lost in now endless monster's roar. Whatever was happening on the other side wasn’t nice. “We have to get to the other side. I’ll get the others, to help us,” he said to Scott and run toward the rover.

As soon as he explained what had happened to Amelia, Niesha and Phobos, Amelia locked Alan in the rover and they headed back. Luckily, the journey didn’t take them long because Andrew knew the right way now. There was a grave silence in the middle of the last steps up, and none of them was sure if it was a good sign.

“Still no response from Zach ...” Scott said to them as they arrived, worry in his voice.

“Don’t worry, a few blows with my shield and Big guy's mace and we're with him in no time,” Amelia encouraged them and began to work on the wall. Phobos nodded and joined her with his mace.

Just a few hits were enough, and they all crawled through the hole to the other side. They found nothing -  no Zach, nor a giant monster. The most catastrophic scenarios began to fly thru Andrew's head.

‘ _What if the monster killed him and pulled him to the depths with it? What if he killed it and as it was falling it pulled him down? What if…_ ’

“Andrew. _Andrew_?” Niesha said. “He's fine. Come, let’s take a look in to that last room.” She grabbed his hand and led him over the bridge.

“You don’t have to worry about Zachariah, Andrew. He is a capable fighter. And he has the two greatest motivations to live,” Phobos said, few steps behind him and Niesha.

“What two motivations?” He asked, still a little shocked.

“To contact the Earth and you.”

Andrew smiled because Phobos was right. Zach wouldn’t leave him alone.

They finally reached the dome within the dome. It was full of stations, and despite the frost, the plants grew everywhere. Directly across from them, at the far wall was a large panel full of displays. Zach stood there, with his back at them. Just as Andrew saw him, he let go of Niesha's hand and ran to him. Zach, surprised by the assault hug, nearly fell to the ground. The remaining four members of their small group also went in his direction.

“Ouch, ouch! My ribs,” Zach was protesting when the hug was too strong.

“Never do this to me again!” Said Andrew before he began kissing the other man. Zach merely nodded his head, forcing his shyness away for once and kissed him back. The others left them for a moment.

“That's enough, that's not why we’re here. Or at least I’m not,” Amelie began sarcastically, looking at the rest of the group next to her.

“You're right, it’s not. I just hope it still works,” Zach said. He let go of Andrew and turned back to the panel.

After sending a small charge into it, the whole room lit up with a huge hologram. It displayed the entire solar system. There was also a woman's voice, probably an artificial intelligence, interface.

“ _Initializing Solar System display... Connection to Earth in progress._ ”

Everyone was holding their breath now. This is the moment they've been doing it for. What each technomancer has vowed to do during their initiation.

“ _Connection failed._ ”

Zach sat down on the transmitter panel, shocked. Andrew still holding his hand.

“ _Extrapolating incomplete data ... updating solar system display._ ” The hologram began to slowly change. Where the Earth was only a moment ago was a large mass of debris. Everything what left of it.

“Destroyed,” Zach almost whispered, “It’s gone. All the years ... what we dreamed about is now just a pile of stones. This ... What am I supposed to do, what should I say to Mars?”

With that question he turned to all his companions and friends. Everyone had their opinion, their version. But they all were the same in one thing - telling everyone on Mars the truth. It will be hard, but no one has the right to conceal such a thing from people.

Zach took a deep breath and began, “No more secrets, no more hiding. We’ll tell the truth about both the destruction of the Earth and the origin of the technomancers' abilities. It will be the first step to make everything better. Now, let’s head home, we have a lot of work to do.”

They all agreed, and everything seemed normal for now. Everything will go crazy the moment they return to the valley. Message of such caliber will be difficult to spread, and it’ll require a lot of dealing and diplomacy. Mars can now begin to create its own future. It doesn’t need to wait for a help that never come.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for stopping by and reading. <3 And also thank you for your comments.  
> Please don’t be afraid to tell me if you find any mistake I made.


	25. Mentor

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here it is – the last chapter! It’s a bonus post-game episode. Enjoy!

A lot had change on Mars over the past year and a half. It all began with the news about the escape of a young technomancer and other 'traitors' from the capital of Abundance, followed by rise of Colonel Viktor Watcher's power and influence. However, this group of refugees began to fight against it, and very successfully. In the end, all Mars went against Viktor, and eventually they were victorious.

All changes were still fresh, but everything began to slowly settle. One of the biggest of these changes was the new Order of Technomancers. Now residing in the Mutants Valley instead of in Ophir. They started out as a small group consisting of the rest of the Ophir's Order, led by the young Grandmaster. It was he who revolutionized everyone, and he was the catalyst of all changes. After all the Viktor's matter was over he even began to search for children with talents in technomancy, help mancers from other Abundance cities and he send out a message to let Mars know that all mancers are welcome in the Valley. Everyone now knows they’re also mutants after all.

‘ _What’s my Andrew doing? Does he avoid this valley, or did he already visit it?_ ’ Shiro thought.

She herself was curious what this place could offer. That’s why she was now standing in front of the gateway to the legendary city of mutants. Even on this little space it was pretty lively. There were a few mutants and a small group preparing to go somewhere. The group, despite its small size, was very diverse.

“... say goodbye to him? That must have been night when you’ll not see each other for so long,” Shiro heard a woman with red hair speaking. She stood in the door of the parked rover and spoke to one of the men.

“ _Amelia!_ ” A young man with pale brown hair shouted at her. “Leave your comments for yourself and go start the rover. It always takes you forever anyway.”

“Zachariah is right. We have a task ahead and their privacy is just between them.” Now a very muscular mutant with a surprisingly pleasant voice full of wisdom spoke. Before she could look at him more, he climbed into the parked vehicle.

“Alright. It’s two against one. But you cannot deny that you already miss him,” said the woman, winking at him. “And the sooner we get out, the sooner we'll be back, that’s why you're pushing me. I understand, you don’t have to tell me twice.” The only answer from the young man was a resigned sigh. How it seems he was used to her behavior. “Come on in, now we’re waiting at you.”

As the man climbed into the vehicle and closed the door, Shiro went further into the city gate. This place was breathtaking, full of life. Not only mutants, but also a few humans were walking down the streets, talking in groups or were buying something at countless merchants. It has been unusual for her to see so many people after months spent on the road. But it would be nice to stay for some time among the people and inside the city walls.

The accommodation was easy to find, there was still a lot of empty homes in the Valley and the people - the mutants - were incredibly welcoming. A lot of houses were rented for little serum for travelers and visitors like her. It was just a small room with a little equipment, but it was more than luxury compere to where she spent her nights on her travels. The most important thing was that the bed was soft. Shiro was planning to stay here for about a month. To rest and collect supplies and information.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

One week after her arrival, Shiro was walking around the marketplace, looking at diverse goods and enjoying the atmosphere of the crowd around her. Suddenly, a young man sped past her toward the gate. As she turned in that direction, she saw the young man she had seen several days ago. As soon as the light-haired man saw the running man, he smiled and ran toward him. When they met, the dark-haired man jumped into his arms, put his legs around the other man waist and hugged him. The other man grabbed him tightly around his waist and made a full all-around spin. As soon as the dark-haired man's feet touched the ground again, he pulled him into a long welcome kiss. That was sign for Shiro to look elsewhere and gave them privacy. Or at least as much privacy as there can be achieved in the middle of the marketplace full of people.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

It was quiet, early morning. There was peace on the streets that Shiro didn’t experience for two weeks she was in the city. The streets were full of long shadows formed by the sun still low on the horizon. When she came to a more distant part, silence was suddenly interrupted by the nearby sound of technomancer's electricity. She was curious, so she walked that way. The Valley was after all the center of the new order now and it would be interesting to see how it’s stands.

She reached railing around the edge of a large, but not very deep crater. Well, arena, because beneath her flow beautifully controlled massive lightning. It surrounded a fast-moving man with a staff in his hand. His movements were just as perfect as his electric bolts. The man seemed to fly all over the arena – moves followed by the quick strikes into the imaginary enemies. Perfect dance. It all ended with the last powerful spin of the staff. Even after the "fight" was over, the man was still in a combat stance. Shiro couldn’t see much from her position, but the prosthesis instead of his left hand was unmistakable.

Another thing she noticed was a bunch of young students sitting nearby at a safe distance. All eyes fixed on a man in the middle of a crater. There was a second man with the teenagers, no doubt another teacher of art of technomancy. They were both pretty young to be masters. However, the Order was now under the new leadership, and many things probably changed, and there was only a few of them.

“Great,” said the master standing with the children. “Notice that he remains in combat alert even after the fight is over. You must never lie down in vigilance.” All the students began to nod. They were listening his every word, eager to learn all about being a good technomancer. Or maybe it had something to do with the teacher himself?

“Trust him, kids, he speaks from his own experience. Ain’t it right, Sparkle?” The man in the middle of the arena said, leaning on his weapon now.

“Hey ...”

“Oh. Don’t want your beloved students to stop thinking that you are Mr. Perfect?”

The other master, however, didn’t let him win so easily: “You the one to talk. Should I start talking ‘bout how you fell into ...?”

“C’mon that’s like eon ego, but ok, you won this round,” he replied on the way to the second master, then he leaned toward him and probably whispered something into his ear.

In the meantime, Shiro found a place with a better view. She leaned against the railing and was looking at them. The master, with peculiarly pale hair wore an old and worn dark brown jacket. His voice was very authoritative, but still nice and pleasant when he spoke to the young ones. But when he spoke to the other man, his voice was completely different, sweeter. The youngster with the prosthesis had dark hair, was wearing the gear of the Aurora mancers and his voice was full of joke and teasing all the time. That voice was somehow familiar to Shiro, but she couldn’t connect it. Undoubtedly, those two were the ones she saw welcoming each other a few days ago in the middle of the square.

The master in the jacket called at the leaving teens: “Don’t forget that you have a lesson with Master Sam tomorrow. Master Melvin isn’t in the Valley, so she'll be your substitute teacher.” The crowd of teenagers nodded and slowly left, and the masters began to put the used equipment into a crate. When everything was placed in the inside, they went hand in hand to the stairs from the arena, chatting.

“... I already promised her, and you know what she is like when I say _no_ to her. And someone must watch over he. Someone ended at Scott's last time.”

“And I know how you look after Amelia starts a fight at the bar. You're always afraid to punch someone outside the real fight,” the man with a prosthesis said with a joke.

“All right, Andrew. Come with us and see for yourself. That girl is worse than a pack of moles.”

“But only when ...”

‘ _Wait - Andrew? That can’t be ... He ... Could it be really him?_ ’ Shiro's thoughts came to a halt. As they passed her, she began to examine the man with the prosthesis very carefully. In that she saw that nose, chin and that for her ridiculous hairstyle. But his behavior was so different, he was more relaxed and obviously happier. And he could use his talents again. And how! Just one way how to know for sure.

“Hey, Pumpkin! I see that it didn’t end so bad with you.” As soon as she said that, the exact man on which it was pointed froze and turned. There was no doubt now - it was her Andrew.

“By the Shadows – _Shiro_!” he said and hugged her. “What are you doing here?” The other man stood behind him with a smile on his face. Happy for his partner's happiness.

“You know me. I'm where my legs lead me. Besides, I had to see this supposedly wonderful city. But what are _you_ doing here? How’s that you can use your talents again? And you have your hand back! You have to tell me _everything!_ ”

“That's all thanks to Zach here,” he said as he finally let her go, reaching for the other man. “Without him I would still be the one you once met. Now look at me – I’m the Master of the Order!”

“Hi, I'm Zachariah Mancer,” Zach introduced himself, shaking her hand. “Not only I’m the Great Master of the Order, but by the way I’m his husband and the general savior of his miserable life.”

“Modest as ever,” Andrew said to Zach, kissing his temple.

“Nice to meet you, I’m Shiro. Traveler, loner, technomancer and general savior of 'Lucky' here. But I figure he's been telling you everything about me.”

“Something yeah, but not everything. I know you’ll tell me all the most embarrassing stories.”

“You bet I will. Has he told you how he once ...?”

“No! _Please no!_ I knew when you two meet, it would be the death of me,” Andrew interrupted them quickly. Shiro and Zach started laughing.

The three of them spent the rest of the day telling their adventures and experiences. The very next day Andrew introduced her to the rest of his group of friends. Shiro couldn’t believe how much he archived over all these years, and in the last year in general. How he changed. She always will see him as the frightened teenager with anger at everything on Mars. Now he was a happy young man with a bunch of friends and a wonderful husband who helped him so much.

When it was time to go again, Andrew persuaded her to stay. She refused and said that she had already stayed long enough, and even he couldn’t keep her there. Her stray legs wanted to take her somewhere, and she let them. But she promised to come back and they’ll talk about all new adventures.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> PS: Andrew hair is not ridiculous!!
> 
> Wow! I can’t believe I actually wrote and posted this monster of the story! I must say I really enjoy myself while writing it and it change me, somehow. I’m now more confident in my writing skills and my English, too. And I realized how much of myself I put into this story and its characters… hmm
> 
> I think I would post it even if nobody would read it, but you liked it and I’m so super-duper glad for that! The feeling when you got an e-mail that you got kudos or comment is like a drug, let me tell you. <3 Each and every one of your kudos and comments made me red as Mars and so incredibly happy and giggly. **< 3 <3** Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!
> 
> Also – thank you Spiders. For creating this wonderful and full-of-life word and characters for me and others to fall in love. All credit goes to you. **< 3** None of this would exist without you, keep up a good work.
> 
> And of course, **the BIGGEST** thanks are to our wonderful, supportive and friendly Technomancer Discord! You’re all my sunshines and I love you till the end of the universe.  <3 In fact, this story is **THE** reason I know you!!  <3 This would be so different story without all your crazy and genius ideas and support. This is your "fault" as much as mine. <3
> 
> Salmaka out

**Author's Note:**

> I have to thank everyone on our Discord server. They've given me so many great ideas. Thanks to them I continued writing and managed to even translate this work. You're the best!


End file.
